tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44236286968576023812024-03-16T15:50:35.379-04:00Inquiry From An Anti-LibraryA library consists of the books you have read. An anti-library are all the books which you have not read.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger514125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-30446719398937402692024-03-12T10:39:00.003-04:002024-03-12T11:16:32.716-04:00Review of Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization by Paul Kriwaczek<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/history-empires.html">History, Empires</a></span></div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://inquiryformanantilibrary.blogspot.com/p/get-to-know-this-worlds-people-regions.html" target="">Get To Know The Peoples Of The World</a> (<a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/mesopotamia.html">Mesopotamian States</a>), </div><div>2) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-is-power-of-belief-systems.html">What Is The Power Of Belief Systems?</a>, 3) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-defines-culture-how-to-belong-to.html">What Defines A Culture? How To Belong To A Community?</a>, 4) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/the-persecuted-and-persecutors.html">The Persecuted and The Persecutors</a>, 5) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/to-cooperate-or-to-defect.html">To Cooperate Or To Defect?</a>, </div><div>6) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/why-conflict-occurs-and-how-to-resolve.html">Why Conflict Occurs And How To Resolve Them?</a>, </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XZAcAlfUOTSXXGmvY7wAVxntPgvOh_NRQTqVUTY98erVrxsXFOoxFCpeC7xV7lc145Yvist64T7iAlHFdBkuTLHIaEk8GgnJMi7ougLSW996d4Kf-rkOuMs81bbZ4mfoCJmyWFhyMpBKfU9uyU_AEyC75UEGMzf0UWcPM_8MynwUBaGQp-erMopEhgY/s1033/Cover%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1033" data-original-width="681" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XZAcAlfUOTSXXGmvY7wAVxntPgvOh_NRQTqVUTY98erVrxsXFOoxFCpeC7xV7lc145Yvist64T7iAlHFdBkuTLHIaEk8GgnJMi7ougLSW996d4Kf-rkOuMs81bbZ4mfoCJmyWFhyMpBKfU9uyU_AEyC75UEGMzf0UWcPM_8MynwUBaGQp-erMopEhgY/s320/Cover%202.png" width="211" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1XTLoe-wC-M" width="320" youtube-src-id="1XTLoe-wC-M"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Excerpts</b></i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“These people were, unlike the others
of their time, never slaves to tradition, never satisfied with what had gone
before, but aiming for constant improvement.
In the course of some ten centuries, they tore down and rebuilt these
constructions eleven times, an average of once every ninety years or so,
displaying an impatience with the old and a welcome of the new on an almost
modern American scale.” – Paul Kriwaczek, Chapter 2: Kingship Descends from
Heaven, Page 24</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“Whether based on a true disaster or not, there was another,
more important reason for Mesopotamians to tell and retell the story of the
Flood: it played a crucial structural role in the ancients’ view of their
history. To the Sumerians the Deluge was
the boundary marker that separated the preliterate from the literate period,
the age of folklore from the era of history. More to the point, it was the gulf that lay between the time
when all Mesopotamia followed Uruk’s cultural and ideological lead, and the
following epoch when Sumer, the southernmost part of the Mesopotamian plain,
was a land of separate city-states, each pursuing its own destiny.” – Paul
Kriwaczek, Chapter 4: The Flood, Page 72</p><p style="text-align: left;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“The moral that Assyrian rulers took from the disaster was
that their only safety lay in possessing incontestable military power. War was too important to be left to the
romantic heroism of kings and generals.
If traditional fighting methods could not even hold off a swarm of
camel-riding sheep-herders, Ashur’s rulers would concentrate on designing and
building a new kind of war-machine, one that nobody would be able to withstand. Moreover, the only sure way to stop people
migrating into Ashur was to take over their homelands and rule them with a rod
of iron. Empire was a necessity not a
luxury. If that caused them
unpopularity, so be it.” – Paul Kriwaczek, Chapter 9: Empire of Ashur, Page 234<o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The inhabitants of Mesopotamia were
ethnically diverse. Various peoples
wanted control of Mesopotamia which generated conflict. Ancient conflict reflected in contemporary
events. Conflicts that devastated
cities. After various disasters, military
power was changed. Concentrated to
protect, but also for conquest. To
prevent being conquered, they had become conquerors. The political system contained citizen
assemblies that were needed to approve decisions, no matter who the leader
was. The political system changed from
city-states to centralized power, with formalized laws. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The culture was
based on continuous change, to continuously improve on what was. Change everything from physical structures to
belief systems. There were even references
to the flood that were used to explain the changing times. When various aspects of society had been
disintegrating, many had given up on the social system. The flood symbolized rejection of what was
before. That power, culture, and ideology
have changed. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Caveats?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Understanding Mesopotamian history
is made difficult by a lack of sources, and challenges in translating the
language. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">History is useful
when applied to contemporary events.
Showcased in this book by the connection of the various related historic
and contemporary events. The connections
have mixed qualities, as the references can be interesting, but also
distracting. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is part of Mesopotamian history?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did conflict shape Mesopotamian politics?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What were citizen assemblies for? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What was Mesopotamian culture? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What was the purpose of the Flood? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How was the Mesopotamian land transformed? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does Mesopotamian history effect Saddam Hussein actions?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What kind of language is Assyrian/Akkadian? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Mesopotamians clean their water? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How were the armies composed?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What weapons were used? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How were items produced? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What kind of economy did the Mesopotamians have?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did the laws change?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>Edition: First U.S. Edition</div><div>Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books [St. Martin's Press]</div><div>Edition ISBN: 9781250000071</div><div>Pages to read: 282</div><div>Publication: 2012</div><div>1st Edition: 2010</div><div>Format: Hardcover </div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 3</div><div>Content 3</div><div>Overall 3</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-73808738395571243192024-03-08T06:17:00.001-05:002024-03-08T06:44:13.974-05:00Review of Candide by Voltaire<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/novel-history.html">Novel, History</a></span></div><div>Book Club Event = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/book-club-book-list.html">Book List</a> (07/20/2024)</div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/want-laugh.html">Want a Laugh?</a>, 2) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/to-cooperate-or-to-defect.html">To Cooperate Or To Defect?</a>, </div><div>3) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/the-persecuted-and-persecutors.html">The Persecuted and The Persecutors</a>, 4) <a href="https://inquiryformanantilibrary.blogspot.com/p/get-to-know-this-worlds-people-regions.html" target="">Get To Know The Peoples Of The World</a> (<a href="https://inquiryformanantilibrary.blogspot.com/p/world-history.html">World History</a>) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="915" data-original-width="689" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglGrxerITSH5ElPVulwdwK2GgCC8SGmmCtlLSE5_vtLfsZQ6tiwhYZxNMgccjDjoNf43LTP4doQdOoWtuEg0sPYXPQ1i1hZ-_1q1_thLjx9xpdOVfv6HQDneC9KmBmEJFEVbQH0Mga57hcPYpgyrTRdMoi38Nv3oxuXO8B7kwC7LKfQuys7n83psaFjB0/s320/Cover%202.png" width="241" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ap-rbZRcGIk" width="320" youtube-src-id="ap-rbZRcGIk"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Excerpts</b></i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p style="text-align: left;">“He was about to continue when he felt himself struck speechless at seeing the two girls embracing the dead bodies of the monkeys in the tenderest manner, weeping over their bodies, and filling the air with the most doleful lamentations. “Really,” he said to Cacambo, “I didn’t expect to see so much generosity of spirit.” “Master,” replied the knowing valet, “you have made a precious piece of work of it: you have killed the lovers of these two ladies.” “Their lovers, Cacambo! You must be joking; it cannot be; I can never believe it.” “Dear sir,” replied Cacambo, “you are surprised by everything; why do you think it so strange that in some countries monkeys obtain the good graces of ladies? They are one-quarter human, just as I am one-quarter Spanish.”” – Voltaire, Chapter XVI: What happened to our two Travellers with two Girls, two Monkeys, and the savages called Oreillons, Page 84</p><p style="text-align: left;">“”You are about to do a rash and silly thing,” said the king. “I know that my kingdom is an insignificant spot; but when people are tolerably at ease in a place, I’d think it would be to their interest to remain there. Most assuredly I have no right to detain you or any strangers against your wills: that sort of tyranny is repugnant to our manners and our laws: all men are by nature free; you have therefore the liberty to depart whenever you please, but you will encounter many great difficulties in crossing the frontiers.”” – Voltaire, Chapter XVIII: What they saw in the Country of El Dorado, Page 96</p><p style="text-align: left;">“Candide, however, had one advantage over Martin; he still hoped to see Miss Cunégonde once more, whereas the poor philosopher had nothing to hope for; besides, Candide had money and jewels, and though he had lost a hundred red sheep laden with the greatest treasure on earth, and though he still had in his heart the memory of the Dutch skipper’s villainy, yet when he considered what he had still left, and repeated the name of Cunégonde, especially after meal times, he leaned toward Pangoss’s doctrine.” – Voltaire, Chapter, Page 105</p><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A looming fortune is within reach,
only to be taken away by tragic events.
Tragic events can seem hopeless, only to stumble into a new fortune. This book follows the oscillating fortune and
misfortune of primarily Candide, and many other characters. Many who had everything, became those with
nothing. While those who appear to have
nothing, have a fortune. Not just
fortune that has reversals, but also social values. Written as a critique on society, on how
social perception of groups does not mean that the members behave in the manner
they are expected to. Those who are
supposed to represent the civilized behave in a barbarous manner, while those
who are supposed to be barbarian behave in a civilized manner. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Caveats?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is a fast-paced adventure. Each chapter is short, without many details
given. Lack of details, but filled with
meaning.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Transitions have mixed qualities. There are antediluvian references, which
would be better understood by those who know the various historic aspects of
the era. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who was Voltaire?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Candide? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Cunégonde?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why did Cunégonde study philosophy? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Pangloss? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is Pangloss’s philosophy? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Candide join the Bulgarians?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What happened to Candide in camp with the Bulgarians? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•In Holland, who was not charitable? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is James?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What happened in Lisbon after the earthquake? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is the old woman?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is the Baron?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What did the Baron think of Candide idea for Candide and Cunégonde?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What happened to the monkeys?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Cacambo?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What happened with the Oreillons?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What happened in El Dorado?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are the laws of El Dorado?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What did the Candide take from El Dorado? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Martin?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How to explain the red sheep? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who are the six dethroned kings? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What happened in Constantinople? </div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>Author Full Name: François-Marie Arouet</div><div>Alternative Title: Candide, or Optimism</div><div>Introduction and Notes Author: Gita May</div><div>Translator: Henry Morley</div><div>Translator, Revisor: Lauren Walsh</div><div>Original Language: French</div><div>Translated Into: English</div><div>Publisher: Barnes & Noble Classics</div><div>Edition ISBN: 9781411431898</div><div>Pages to read: 154</div><div>Publication: 2003</div><div>1st Edition: 1759</div><div>Format: eBook </div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 3</div><div>Content 3</div><div>Overall 3</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-82219432909893478962024-03-04T08:42:00.002-05:002024-03-04T09:38:24.505-05:00Review of Inadequate Equilibria: Where and How Civilizations Get Stuck by Eliezer Yudkowsky<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/decision-making.html">Decision Making</a></span></div><div>Book Club Event = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/book-club-book-list.html">Book List</a> (08/03/2024)</div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/to-cooperate-or-to-defect.html">To Cooperate Or To Defect?</a>, 2) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/when-intelligence-goes-wrong.html">When Intelligence Goes Wrong</a>, </div><div>3) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/why-is-behavior-of-individuals.html">Why Is Behavior of Individuals Different When They Are in A Group?</a>, </div><div>4) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/the-strategies-of-game-theory.html">The Strategies Of Game Theory</a>, 5) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-goes-into-economic-crisis.html">What Goes Into An Economic Crisis?</a>, </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="940" data-original-width="634" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMs_x2y2Uo6sqSyE_Pw_oYabJU3p8jk3QRbDdpn2-GwJCfHPEg_1CfRTyzzM4JUVBfE_8KOlm-1gBfYwK6tXXBt8lOW9FEgXBAvjqqswYJt4qoKjUFLvVWx3jzNS8S4-Db1oXQ0xLe5WTJBlAS1YPTzrK4Ha76TPLyG3ecSNmVrqvLeR89IV3WkgI3jw/s320/Cover%201.png" width="216" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2ZdruuXSFf8" width="320" youtube-src-id="2ZdruuXSFf8"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Excerpts</b></i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p style="text-align: left;">“A critical analogy between an inadequate system and an efficient market is this: even systems that are horribly inadequate from our own perspective are still in a competitive equilibrium. There’s still an equilibrium of incentives, and equilibrium of supply and demand, an equilibrium where (in the central example above) all the researchers are vigorously competing for prestigious publications and using up all available grant money in the course of doing so. There’s no free energy anywhere in the system.” – Eliezer Yudkowsky, Chapter 2: An Equilibrium of No Free Energy, Page 31</p><p style="text-align: left;">“Then why don’t you just walk up to the decision-maker and tell them about the bias? Because they wouldn’t have any way of knowing to trust you rather than the other five hundred people trying to influence their decisions? Well, in that case, you’re holding information that they can’t learn from you! So that’s an “asymmetric information problem,” in much the same way that it’s an asymmetric information problem when you’re trying to sell a used car and you know it doesn’t have any mechanical problems, but you have no way of reliably conveying this knowledge to the buyer because for all they know you could be lying.” – Eliezer Yudkowsky, Chapter 3: Moloch’s Toolbox, Page 42</p><p style="text-align: left;">“This brings me to the single most obvious notion that correct contrarians grasp, and that people who have vastly overestimated their own competence don’t realize: it takes far less work to identify the correct expert in a preexisting dispute between experts, than to make an original contribution to any field that is remotely healthy.” – Eliezer Yudkowsky, Chapter 4: Living in an Inadequate World, Page 106</p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In an efficient market, in an efficient civilization, the
individual cannot do better than the collective power of the many who have a
lot more available information. Even if
the individual has information that others do not, the individual cannot make
an improvement, gain any benefits by fixing the problem, and cannot exploit the
system. Common problems within adequate
systems are supposed to be resolved by the community, as good ideas have
already been tried by the community. The
collective might not get the exact answer, but no individual can predict the
average value of the error, the average value of the change. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Alternatively, there are inadequate systems in which
individuals can do better that the community, as problems exist but do not get
resolved. Civilization gets stuck with
inadequate equilibria as they are systemically unfixable. There are various reasons for how an
inadequate system, an inadequate civilization can develop. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Central decision makers can prevent others from fixing the
problem. Decisions makers are not the
beneficiaries. There is asymmetric
information as decision makers cannot know what or whose information to
trust. Systems might be inadequate, but
that does not make them exploitable as there are many competitors trying to
benefit from available opportunities, a competitive equilibrium. To improve the system would require large
scale coordination action, but they are difficult to facilitate.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How To And Not To Think About Inadequate Systems?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Wrong guesses and false cynicism do exist. Different systems are dysfunctional in
different ways. No individual is better
at everything, but individuals can be better at somethings and worse at
others. There is a lot of variation in
expert views.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Although there are inadequate systems, just assuming
inadequacy can make people see inadequacy in everything with a lot of
arguments. Concluding inadequacy from a
problem is not an adequate rule. Even
though systems have inadequate equilibria, a blanket distrust of inadequacy
arguments does not get far. Civilization
cannot be beat all the time, but its good to be skeptical and check for
inadequacy. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Caveats?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The explanations can be
improved. The organizational quality is
mixed. There are practical examples and
abstract reasoning. The abstract reasoning
and conversations can become confusing.
There are parts that would be better understood with prerequisite
knowledge. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This book is based
on the dichotomy of perfect and imperfect information theory, an improvement on
them. Tailored to reduce the strictness
of perfect information. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are efficient markets / civilizations?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What makes markets / civilizations inadequate? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do civilizations get stuck in an inadequate system?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How can inadequate systems be fixed?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are the benefits or consequences of decision makers trying to change the system?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Can systems be exploited?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How to think about being better than civilizational results? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is Moloch’s Toolbox?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why blame Moloch?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is Nash equilibrium?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do people tell the epistemic standards of others?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How much effort does it take to resolve a civilization inadequacy problem? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is Pareto-optimal?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What does the price represent? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How can SAD be cured? How did the author approach SAD ideas?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why are babies dying due to nutrition problems?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What do scientist do? What is the purpose of subclasses of scientists, the suggesters and replicators? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What research gets promoted? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is a two-factor market?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the value of a degree?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why and how to certify people?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What do people want from medicine? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are wasted votes?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Which entrepreneurs do venture capitalists take?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why not use Velcro for shoes?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Which candidates do newspapers follow?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the Overton window?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do political decisions change?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Do people trust the newspapers? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Should you defer to doctors? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is modest epistemology? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Is there a problem with theoreticism? How does theoreticism contrast with empiricism? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Is it better to be a hedgehog or a fox? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•When to test a product?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Does majority belief makes something true?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is status regulation?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the typical mind fallacy? </div><div><br /></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>Publisher: Machine Intelligence Research Institute</div><div>Edition ISBN: 9781939311191</div><div>Pages to read: 162</div><div>Publication: 2017</div><div>1st Edition: 2017</div><div>Format: eBook </div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 4</div><div>Content 4</div><div>Overall 3</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-6043328279333127902024-02-29T10:05:00.004-05:002024-02-29T11:15:47.283-05:00Review of Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization by Neil deGrasse Tyson<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/epistemology.html">Philosophy, Epistemology</a></span></div><div>Book Club Event = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/book-club-book-list.html">Book List</a> (10/19/2024)</div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-makes-science-science.html">What Makes Science A Science?</a>, </div><div>2) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/why-conflict-occurs-and-how-to-resolve.html">Why Conflict Occurs And How To Resolve Them?</a>, 3) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/why-do-people-think-differently.html">Why Do People Think Differently?</a>, </div><div>4) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-to-teach-how-to-learn.html">How to Teach? How to Learn?</a>, 5) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/to-cooperate-or-to-defect.html">To Cooperate Or To Defect?</a>, 6) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/war-for-your-attention.html">War for Your Attention</a>, </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtxjI-V2A2tgRRW88e8_eA4pWkUJw7efVAQmfY2-pAM3NUd1rZMLFciC0lyIQ7Th4VL0wdBzmYWjT2HsBH2oSqSxelp-xVTgswq6FTLJY9UL634atBF5OUvFQ8KcphB3c7B6rtd1uv35F90ppwLT_OCZXctrUurGB_0bpPjyYnJw7HGednlD5SlfNRNs/s958/Cover%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="602" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtxjI-V2A2tgRRW88e8_eA4pWkUJw7efVAQmfY2-pAM3NUd1rZMLFciC0lyIQ7Th4VL0wdBzmYWjT2HsBH2oSqSxelp-xVTgswq6FTLJY9UL634atBF5OUvFQ8KcphB3c7B6rtd1uv35F90ppwLT_OCZXctrUurGB_0bpPjyYnJw7HGednlD5SlfNRNs/s320/Cover%202.png" width="201" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4nyNaOpmGWY" width="320" youtube-src-id="4nyNaOpmGWY"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Excerpts</b></i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“Objective truths don’t come from any
seated authority, nor from any single research paper. The press, in an attempt to break a story,
may mislead the public’s awareness of how science works by headlining a
just-published scientific paper as the truth, perhaps also touting the academic
pedigrees of the authors. When drawn
from the frontier of thought, the truth still churns. Research can wander until experiments
converge in one direction or another – or in no direction, a warning flag of no
phenomenon at all. These crucial checks
and balances commonly take years, which hardly ever counts as “breaking news.””
– Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chapter One: Truth & Beauty, Page 8</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“With systems in place to disseminate thought, such as
scientific conferences, peer-reviewed journals, and patent filings, every next
generation can use discoveries of the previous generation as fresh starting
points. No reinventing the wheel. No wasted efforts. This blunt and obvious fact carries profound
consequences. It means knowledge grows exponentially,
not linearly, rendering our brains hopeless in our attempts to predict the
future based on the past.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chapter Two: Exploration
& Discovery, Page 29</p><p style="text-align: right;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“Hidden bias can cause a persistent urge to see all that
agrees with you and ignore all that does not, even when countervailing examples
abound. Among the many categories of how
to fool oneself, the more pernicious is confirmation bias: you remember the
hits and forget the misses. It affects
us all, at one level or another. The
antidote? Dispassionate rational
analysis.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chapter Four: Conflict & Resolution, Page
80<o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">People have different experiences,
values, and priorities. Differences that
cause division and conflict. With tribes
formed by those who agree and share the same values. A method to overcome the division and
conflict would be to change how to think about the ideas. To think about the ideas from above, a cosmic
perspective. Science and rational
thinking provides that perspective. Many
disagreements disappear when data about the ideas is introduced. Scientists are after the data, rather than
opinions.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">While scientific
tools overcome human sensory frailties, scientists are taught to think
rationally rather than emotionally. Truth
comes from repeated and consistent results, not based on authority nor on a
single research paper. Changing how
ideas are interpreted based on tests and experiments. Knowledge grows exponentially as previous
research is used to develop new understanding.
While science seeks to change behavior through voluntary consensus,
behavior on social media tends to coerce agreement. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Caveats?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This book is on applications of
science across diverse topics. Various
topics that include those that are socially sensitive. Some topics have been developed further by
specialists within the topics, who have different interpretations of the
claims. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There is an idealism
about science and scientists. There is a
recognition that scientists can corrupt research, but that the community can
self-regulate. The problem in thinking
of the community as an ideal, can prevent scientists from considering how
science can be corrupted, which exacerbates the corruption. Ideally, scientists remove their emotions
from their claims, but emotions provide logic with value. Scientists are people, who have
emotions. Emotions that influence how
data is interpreted. The want to remove
emotions, does not prevent emotions, but rather hides them. Creating the hidden biases that the author
recognizes corrupt science.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The subtitle is a bit deceptive. The cosmic reference is not about
astrophysics, but about science. Science
is the cosmic perspective. There are
some references on astrophysics, but that is not the purpose of this book. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why are there disagreements?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How to overcome disagreements? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the cosmic perspective?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What do scientists want?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the effect of scientific tools?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What to do about emotions?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How to get to truth?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does knowledge grow?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does science change behavior?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does social media change behavior? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How not to fool oneself?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What can limit the effectiveness of science? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is pre-consensus?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the effect of hidden biases?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is confirmation bias?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What defines something as beautiful or ugly? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are the features of a democracy? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are labels? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who did evolution reward? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do monetary lotteries effect society? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How to understand risk and reward? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do emotions change risk evaluation? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What should people eat? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is speciesism? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What do animals think of humans? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the triple point of water? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How to tell the difference between the sexes?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What determines skin color? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do people define themselves based on region?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does canceling people effect society? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do debate tournaments function?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Is the law searching for justice? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Can eyewitness testimonies be trusted? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the purpose of scientific tools? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How many miscarriages are there? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What defines a disability? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How smart are animals?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Do you want to live forever? </div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>Edition: First Holt Paperbacks Edition</div><div>Publisher: Holt Paperbacks [Macmillan Publishing Group]</div><div>Edition ISBN: 9781250861511</div><div>Pages to read: 218</div><div>Publication: 2024</div><div>1st Edition: 2022</div><div>Format: Paperback </div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 5</div><div>Content 4</div><div>Overall 5</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-77413094167833603112024-02-24T08:09:00.005-05:002024-02-24T08:51:27.161-05:00Review of The Secret Network of Nature: Trees, Animals, and the Extraordinary Balance of All Living Things-- Stories from Science and Observation by Peter Wohlleben<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/science.html">Science</a></span></div><div>Book Club Event = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/book-club-book-list.html">Book List</a> (08/10/2024)</div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/earths-flora-and-fauna.html">Earth's Flora and Fauna</a>, 2) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-to-allocate-resources.html">How To Allocate Resources?</a>, </div><div>3) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-goes-into-economic-crisis.html">What Goes Into An Economic Crisis?</a>, 4) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/to-cooperate-or-to-defect.html">To Cooperate Or To Defect?</a>, </div><div>5) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/why-conflict-occurs-and-how-to-resolve.html">Why Conflict Occurs And How To Resolve Them?</a>, </div><div>6) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/the-rights-of-property-physical.html">The Rights of Property: Physical, Intellectual, and Other Property Rights</a>, </div><div>7) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-does-data-get-use-and-misused.html">How Does Data Get Use, And Misused?</a>, </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="970" data-original-width="659" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDgFhSH-gzwSMAkcElBrL31S_egt3iMUaaWGX7xe2bGQoEnZr88YNtMICQ_y_FsG59uHdTZJywYaF6cCcf3TCDQW-6PRvrHMxj3iiKS40-9h0GsX4EmxNmT0apcrm5AdWZG5IOdV5VAKJ-DDQ2FJ8c07kUy0oXzt1Ninfp4bNvmELV7xCT087YsHK6qNs/s320/Cover%202.png" width="217" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/epG62LHTrEE" width="320" youtube-src-id="epG62LHTrEE"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Excerpts</b></i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“Deer have a love-hate relationship with trees. Deer don’t actually like forests, but we
think of them as forest animals, because that’s where we find them most
often. Like all large animals that eat
plants, deer have a problem: they can only eat vegetation they can reach. And usually, the vegetation available to them
has armed itself against herbivorous attack.
The usual arsenal of vegetative defensive weapons includes thorns and
barbs, toxins, or thick, hard bark, but trees in Central European forest have
developed none of these defenses.” – Peter Wohlleben, Chapter 4: Why Deer Taste
Bad to Trees, Page 53</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“Dead animals are often the cause of fights, and wolves lose
out when brown bears turn up. Then it’s
best for the pack to head for the hills, particularly if they have pups, which
a bruin could easily scarf down as a snack.
Ravens have a role to play here: they spot bears from afar and help
wolves by alerting the pack to approaching danger. In return, wolves allow ravens to help
themselves to a share of the booty – something the birds wouldn’t be able to do
without the wolves’ permission. Wolves
would have no difficulty making a meal of ravens, but they teach their
offspring that these birds are their friends.
Wolf pups have been observed playing with their black companions; the
young wolves imprint on the smell of the ravens and come to regard the birds as
members of their community.” – Peter Wohlleben, Chapter 7: The Funeral Feast,
Pages 88-89</p><p style="text-align: right;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“<a name="_Hlk57203228">In my opinion, the much-vaunted
supposed benefits of releasing nutrients by flames and recycling dead biomass
through fire are myths that downplay the disruption caused to this sensitive
ecosystem by people playing with fire since prehistoric times. In the normal course of events, it is not
fire that releases stored nutrients and makes them available to new plant
growth in the form of ash; it is the billion-strong army of animal sanitary
engineers that undertakes the drudgery of decomposition (and they are
completely incinerated in large forest fires, because, unfortunately, the
little fellows are thin skinned).” –</a> Peter Wohlleben, Chapter 13: It
Doesn’t Get Any Hotter Than This, Page 183<o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Everything in nature is interconnected. A species effects the ecosystem around
them. A cycle of life as nutrients from
the dead feed the living. Many animals
fight for nutrients provided by other dead animals. Nitrogen is a reactive compound that enables
the growth of vegetation, but is rare in nature. Nitrogen can be provided by dead animals
around them, or alternatively, the winds can carry it. Nitrogen is a by-product of burning fossil
fuels that can be carried long distances on the wind, to come down when it
rains. Trees have been aware of the
emissions as they have been growing faster when emissions rose. But growing too fast makes them vulnerable to
fungi and other predators. Fires have
been a way to recycle dead biomass, but that also incinerates the natural
sanitation army of animals that decompose and release nutrients. Rain can provide sustenance, but heavy rain
can carry away valuable soil and nutrients.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Animals communicate, between their own species and other
animals. Even vegetation has a
communication method, a wood wide web.
Much like animals have defenses against predators, vegetation has
defenses on those that prey on them.
Reproduction is attuned to winter losses, but humans can intervene to
feed animals and prevent losses, which means more animals available after
winter. Increased population of a
species effects how they compete with other animals, and how much vegetation
there is. Hunters have participated in
feeding animals, to have more animals to hunt.
People can also protect animals, a desire usually fostered when people
engage and connect with animals, such as through zoos. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Caveats?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The ecosystem is complex. Complexity that makes it difficult to
understand how everything is interconnected.
This book shares some connections that are known, with different
interpretations. There are many
connections not yet known or understood.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How is nature interconnected?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do wolfs effect the ecosystem?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do radio collars effect wolves? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Are wolves dangerous?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How similar or different are the predatory behavior of wolves and bears? How do they effect the ecosystem? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do salmon effect trees? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What does nitrogen effect plants? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What do heathers and junipers signal?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the effect of synthetic fertilizers?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are the benefits and dangers of rain? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Are deer forest animals?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Does vegetation have defenses? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do trees taste to deer?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why do ants protect aphids? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Which trees do beetles prey on? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do wolves and ravens interact? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What types of camouflage are there? How does camouflage work during the day and night? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does artificial light effect moth behavior? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does light effect the night?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who are attracted to light? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do birds choose their routes? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How to crows react to being fed? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How to protect animals?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How can zoos effect people? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does bait effect a species? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How many types of animals and plants are there?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do fungi behave? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Can animals communicate?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Can plants communicate? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the effect of fire?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Are forests acquainted with fire? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How should dead biomass be recycled? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is nature? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What happened to the megafauna? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do humans effect nature? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How many species go extinct? </div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>Translator: Jane Billinghurst</div><div>Original Language: German</div><div>Translated Into: English</div><div>Edition: First Paperback Edition</div><div>Publisher: Greystone Books</div><div>Edition ISBN: 9781778400346</div><div>Pages to read: 236</div><div>Publication: 2022</div><div>1st Edition: 2017</div><div>Format: Paperback </div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 5</div><div>Content 5</div><div>Overall 5</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-90112792702985489222024-02-20T20:50:00.010-05:002024-02-20T22:59:55.041-05:00Review of Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/psychology.html">Psychology</a></span></div><div>Book Club Event = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/book-club-book-list.html">Book List</a> (06/22/2024)</div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-is-power-of-belief-systems.html">What Is The Power Of Belief Systems?</a>, </div><div>2) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/ways-to-help-oneself-and-life-lessons.html">Ways To Help Oneself and Life Lessons</a>, 3) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/why-do-people-think-differently.html">Why Do People Think Differently?</a>, </div><div>4) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/biographies-auto-memoir-and-other-types.html">Biographies: Auto, Memoir, and Other Types</a>, 5) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/to-cooperate-or-to-defect.html">To Cooperate Or To Defect?</a>, </div><div>6) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/the-persecuted-and-persecutors.html">The Persecuted and The Persecutors</a>, </div><div>7) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/the-rights-of-property-physical.html">The Rights of Property: Physical, Intellectual, and Other Property Rights</a>, </div><div>8) <a href="https://inquiryformanantilibrary.blogspot.com/p/get-to-know-this-worlds-people-regions.html" target="">Get To Know The Peoples Of The World</a> (<a href="https://inquiryformanantilibrary.blogspot.com/p/germany.html">Germany</a>), </div><div>9) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-defines-culture-how-to-belong-to.html">What Defines A Culture? How To Belong To A Community?</a>, 10) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-do-humans-age-and-die.html">How Do Humans Age And Die?</a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1061" data-original-width="679" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhroak7FlPDQtznppOwTyiCeuLtWU73KHyJkyA5OjmRVazKXXexcQjyJnb9jas2Z8LggMpZJq10pJZk0bsBGHXJ60omdt-j2EdgBdb1mId2nq3uOALtW1PSpE-NDwYicB9ZW2r60QY4GtaL6Ms8XGYeRGkW6qY5qKGY1VVb-bc1RfVg3kTRp8cRSsBokQQ/s320/Cover%202.png" width="205" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IH0C1Vw-7kA" width="320" youtube-src-id="IH0C1Vw-7kA"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Excerpts</b></i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“A thought transfixed me: for the
first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets,
proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth – that love is the ultimate and the
highest goal to which man can aspire.
Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and
human thought and belief have to impart: <i>The salvation of man is through
love and in love</i>. I understood how a
man who has nothing left in this world still may know bliss, be it only for a
brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved. In a position of utter desolation, when man
cannot express himself in positive action, when his only achievement may
consist in enduring his suffering in the right way – an honorable way – in such
a position man can, through loving contemplation of the image he carries of his
beloved, achieve fulfillment.” – Viktor E. Frankl, Page 38</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“To discover that there was any semblance of art in a
concentration camp must be surprise enough for an outsider, but he may be even
more astonished to hear that one could find a sense of humor there as well; of
course, only the faint trace of one, and then only for a few seconds or
minutes. Humor was another of the soul’s
weapons in the fight for self-preservation.
It is well known that humor, more than anything else in the human
make-up, can afford an aloofness and an ability to rise above any situation,
even if only for a few seconds.” – Viktor E. Frankl, Page 42</p><p style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“A man who let himself decline because he could
not see any future goal found himself occupied with retrospective
thoughts. In a different connection, we
have already spoken of the tendency there was to look into the past, to help
make the present, with all its horrors, less real. But in robbing the present of its reality
there lay a certain danger. It became
easy to overlook the opportunities to make something positive of camp life,
opportunities which really did exist.” – Viktor E. Frankl, Page 62</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Death is the outcome of a concentration camp. A prison that sorts people based on their
ability to work. If a person could not
be forced to work under the harsh conditions, or lack of food, they were sent
to death. A concentration camp is about
suffering, but there are those who survived.
Those who had higher chances of survival found moments to overcome the
suffering, and find mental habits to keep themselves from despair. Those who survived found ways to imbue
meaning in their life. Finding meaning
even in the tragic human experience of the concentration camp.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There were those who died from giving up hope, from a lack
of a potential future. Died from nothing
to live for. A physiological response,
as those who deteriorated mentally, also deteriorated physically which made
them vulnerable to every other threat.
To survive, to prevent despair, the prisoners found ways to imbue
meaning into their experience. Prisoners
found momentary solace in retrospective thought. Momentary bliss from thinking about loved
ones. Even some humor was used as a
self-preservation mechanism. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Finding meaning is the basis of logotherapy. Meaning can be found through work, love, or
even courage in difficult times. There
is much that is beyond the control of the individual, but the individual has
the freedom to choose how to respond.
Cannot control what happens, but can control how the individual
feels. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How Did People Handle The Concentration Camp? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Initially, the prisoners had some hope that they would keep
their items. But became apathetic, as a
self-defense mechanism. Everything began
to be about self-preservation. The
prisoners crowed together for self-preservation, to not be conspicuous. Alternatively, prisoners wanted time along
with their thoughts. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Prisoners who were chosen for death, had a delusion of
reprieve. An illusion of being spared in
the last moment. Those who were chosen
for death were those who could not work.
In response, the prisoners tried to make themselves look younger, fit
for work. Viktor E. Frankl used
psychological tools to become useful to the Capo, who saved Frankl from
death. Capos were prisoners who worked
for the guards. There were some really
bad guards, in all can be found human kindness.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After the camp experience, former prisoners depersonalize
their experience, as if they had been deceived and it did not happen. Even though they wanted liberation, they also
could not believe it happened.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>What Is Logotherapy? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Logotherapy is about the future, how people finding
meaning. By finding fulfillment in the
future. A tension between what was
achieved, and has yet to be achieved.
People have the ability to change, and change the world.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Retrospective thought can be help, but can also be
dangerous. Retrospective thought can
prevent people from seeing the opportunities of reality. To not see opportunities to become better.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Caveats?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There is a survivorship bias in those who survived by using
the methods. As mentioned in the book,
many of those who used the methods still died.
Without mentioning how many survived without using the methods. </p></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is a concentration camp?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who was chosen for death? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did people survive the concentration camp?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What mental habits did prisoners create? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do people find meaning?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What happened to those who gave up hope?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is logotherapy?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What can people control?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What where prisoners’ initial perspective on their situation?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How were the prisoners identified? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What did prisoners want to keep? What were they able to keep? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who are the Capos?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did the author interact with the Capo?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did the prisoners react after liberation? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What does it mean to “run into the wire”?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How should food be eaten? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What happened to the body without the appropriate food? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What did the SS (Nazi) do before the prisoners were liberated? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who were the guards? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is paradoxical intention?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is pan-determinism? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the tragic triad? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Is there meaning in suffering?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the effect of freedom?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>Foreword Author: Harold S. Kusher</div><div>Afterward Author: William J. Winslade</div><div>Translator: Ilse Lasch</div><div>Original Language: German</div><div>Translated Into: English</div><div>Publisher: Beacon Press</div><div>Edition ISBN: 9780807014288</div><div>Pages to read: 122</div><div>Publication: 2006</div><div>1st Edition: 1946</div><div>Format: eBook </div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 5</div><div>Content 4</div><div>Overall 4</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-3772084814404577552024-02-16T10:13:00.005-05:002024-02-17T08:20:07.730-05:00Review of The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/novel-history.html">Novel, History</a></span></div><div>Book Club Event = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/book-club-book-list.html">Book List</a> (11/16/2024)</div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://inquiryformanantilibrary.blogspot.com/p/get-to-know-this-worlds-people-regions.html" target="">Get To Know The Peoples Of The World</a> (<a href="https://inquiryformanantilibrary.blogspot.com/p/united-states-of-america.html">United States of America</a>), </div><div>2) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-defines-culture-how-to-belong-to.html">What Defines A Culture? How To Belong To A Community?</a>, </div><div>3) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/the-persecuted-and-persecutors.html">The Persecuted and The Persecutors</a>, 4) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/to-cooperate-or-to-defect.html">To Cooperate Or To Defect?</a>, 5) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/relationships-right.html">Relationships, Right?</a>, </div><div>6) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/some-kind-of-friendship.html">Some Kind of Friendship</a>, </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqcK7hgdJMVjxWKX8pjySI50ivFzBlEDGuYMCMyjlZoyGbXh5HJEIt6M9ojRhReQym5m-vnb04cTuSSy3Nup2kqboZW9g2mN1BbSnZQxSmqkZ90KLRag4z1U_KyyH_ccMGIFSNmkmTyZscUSY0N5JJSPwJrBY0yzPcWU2dTVN7EmxyREtsyCqWcUlQS0/s1040/Cover%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="689" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqcK7hgdJMVjxWKX8pjySI50ivFzBlEDGuYMCMyjlZoyGbXh5HJEIt6M9ojRhReQym5m-vnb04cTuSSy3Nup2kqboZW9g2mN1BbSnZQxSmqkZ90KLRag4z1U_KyyH_ccMGIFSNmkmTyZscUSY0N5JJSPwJrBY0yzPcWU2dTVN7EmxyREtsyCqWcUlQS0/s320/Cover%202.png" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oTGFNncbDhs" width="320" youtube-src-id="oTGFNncbDhs"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Excerpts</b></i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p style="text-align: left;">“But Chona’s years of stirring butter, sorting vegetables, and reading in the back room of the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store had given her time to consider. She read everything as a child: comics, detective books, dime novels; and by the time she became a young wife, she’d evolved into reading about socialism and unions. She subscribed to Jewish newspapers, publications in Hebrew, and books on Jewish life, some from Europe. The readings gave her wild ideas about art, music, and worldly matters. She knew more Hebrew than any Jewish woman in town, many of whom had little more than a rudimentary knowledge of the language. She could recite the Talmud better than most of the men in shul. Instead of sitting with the women in the balcony, she insisted on davening downstairs with the men, claiming her bad foot prevented her from climbing stairs.” – James McBride, Chapter 3: Twelve, Page 27</p><p style="text-align: left;">“The colored maids, housekeepers, saloon cleaners, factory workers, and bellhops of Chicken Hill who gathered near the vegetable bin each Saturday morning to hear Paper’s news, however, loved her chatter. Paper knew more news that the local papers, which she actually never read. In fact, there was a rumor about that Paper couldn’t read at all – she’d been seen at the Second Baptist church holding the hymnal book upside down more than once. That didn’t matter. Her neat wooden frame house on Franklin Street was perched at one of the main roads leading up to Chicken Hill, given her a view of the town in front and the Hill in the back.” – James McBride, Chapter 8: Paper, Page 76</p><p style="text-align: left;">“Miss Chona was not a woman who lost her cool easily. Despite the odd tremors and occasional frightening seizures brought on by her disability, she rambled around the store freely, doing all manner of tasks. If there was a carton to be lifted, she would attempt to lift it herself. If there were groceries to be stacked or vegetables to sort, she went at those things. She did not like to be helped, and he’d learned to not help her unless asked. The only time she let him do work that kept him free and rambling, because he hated sitting still, was if she was reading.” – James McBride, Chapter 11: Gone, Page 116</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the 1970s, a skeleton is found in Pottstown,
Pennsylvania. The skeleton has a pendant
that leads to The Heaven And Earth Grocery Store. The tale takes the form of a backstory of how
the skeleton came to be there, a mystery that is set in the 1920s-1930s. During the time, The Heaven And Earth Grocery
Store, along with theaters are owned by Moshe and Chona. Moshe manages the theater, while the disabled
Chona manages the store. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Heaven And Earth Grocery Store acts like a sanctuary for
many. A central community gathering
place that is recognized for how they help the community. In an era of various forms of persecution,
the store and theaters transformed the community into an inclusive region. A region where diverse people who struggle
are able to find people who can help them.
Diverse people from different ethnicities, cultures, religions, and
disabilities. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As a sanctuary, Moshe and Chona are willing to hide a nephew
of a friend and colleague. The nephew is
a 12-year-old boy called Dodo, who needs to avoid a government agent who is set
to take Dodo to a special school for people like Dodo. Dodo became disabled after a kitchen
accident. Dodo became deaf, but is able
to read lips and be athletic. The request
to hide Dodo was due to the poor conditions of the intended school. Dodo is hidden at The Heaven And Earth
Grocery Store. Although Moshe and Chona
did not have a child, Dodo has become part of the family. Can they keep Dodo hidden? How is this event tied to the skeleton found
many years later?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Caveats?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The book covers various socially
tense situations, using the language of the era. Ideas and language that are no longer
appropriate. The situations are meant to
represent the values of people during the time.
What they thought and how they reflect on contemporary values. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Whose body was found in the introduction? What happened to them? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What happened to Moshe flyers for an concert with Katz? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Moshe? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Chona? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Moshe and Chona meet? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why keep and stay at the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Moshe change the community? How did the community respond to the change? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Chona behave and effect other people? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Chona’s disability effect Chona?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Chona effect the community? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the significance of 12? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Nate Timblin? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is Nate’s history? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Addie? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Dodo? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Dodo become deaf? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Malachi? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How is Malachi’s bread? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What did Moshe do with Malachi’s bread? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What does Malachi think of America? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is the greatest dancer? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who received the pendant that had the inscription “Home of the Greatest Dancer in the World”?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why does the government want Dodo? How does Nate handle the situation?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is spreading the location of Dodo?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does Chona treat Dodo? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How was Dodo found? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Bernice? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is Chona’s history with Bernice?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Patty Millison, and why is Patty known as Newspaper, as Paper? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Doc? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is Doc’s history with Chona?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What group is Doc part of?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What does Doc think is happening to America? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Fatty? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Reverend Spriggs? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Big Soap? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Pia? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Miggy Fludd? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Son of Man? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Plitzka?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is Plitzka’s role with water? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What does Doc think of Plitzka? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How was the shul built? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does the shul get water? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the purpose of marbles? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who are the Skrup brothers? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Monkey Pants?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Dodo and Monkey Pants communicate? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the purpose of Pennhurst State Hospital? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What claims did Doc make about Dodo after the event at the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the plan to get Dodo out of Pennhurst?</div><div><br /></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>Publisher: Riverhead Books [Penguin Random House]</div><div>Edition ISBN: 9780593422960</div><div>Pages to read: 309</div><div>Publication: 2003</div><div>1st Edition: 2003</div><div>Format: eBook </div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 4</div><div>Content 4</div><div>Overall 4</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-16274677579125531502024-02-13T00:06:00.002-05:002024-02-13T00:28:27.592-05:00Review of Guide to Profitability by Hetal Shah<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/economics-business.html">Economics, Business</a></span></div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-to-and-not-to-run-business.html">How To and Not To Run a Business</a>, 2) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-to-allocate-resources.html">How To Allocate Resources?</a>, </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGDrMpXZsTGqvNpTGwnEPIP_MywkNLPtXz_M5LfQ2nLcTSVTtZhxlR1PIqyhDDQxtpLGrQkvOjOdaAs4QdGguCEuB7SxRinBIfE_AYgFCPKe3NptQ_v8d19wYns8WJpcI9Xz8WOpXTzLUsszKAIvK1oZjPbMBBqkffmEvWyQo1UkPut9RxDToUyxwmGk/s840/Cover%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="523" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGDrMpXZsTGqvNpTGwnEPIP_MywkNLPtXz_M5LfQ2nLcTSVTtZhxlR1PIqyhDDQxtpLGrQkvOjOdaAs4QdGguCEuB7SxRinBIfE_AYgFCPKe3NptQ_v8d19wYns8WJpcI9Xz8WOpXTzLUsszKAIvK1oZjPbMBBqkffmEvWyQo1UkPut9RxDToUyxwmGk/s320/Cover%202.png" width="199" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2uIYvEITdoY" width="320" youtube-src-id="2uIYvEITdoY"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Excerpts</b></i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“Profit is a deeply moral concept,
since without profit we will suffer, not from exploitation, but from a
misallocation of resources, a failure to provide the goods and services that
the economy needs, the nation’s loss of tax revenue, a reduction in employment
and the inability to provide for social change.” – Hetal Shah, Chapter:
Introduction</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“You can decrease the cost of revenue by decreasing the
fixed costs such as rent, utilities, equipment, and by decreasing variable
costs like raw materials, delivery, commission and payroll. Please note that decreasing fixed costs may
compromise the reputation of the company, and decreasing variable costs may
compromise the integrity and quality of the products/services sold.” – Hetal
Shah, Chapter: The Income Statement</p><p style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“If you find a positive number when looking at
ROI, you know the company has a sound return, and that it uses borrowing to
expand, rather than using debt to survive.
Make sure that the ROI excludes income from capital improvements made
with debt.” – Hetal Shah, Chapter: Profitability Ratios</span></p><p style="text-align: right;">Excerpts with permission from the Author.</p><div><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Profit enables the appropriate
allocation of resources. Profit is a
social motivator of change. There are
many ways that profit outcomes can be adjusted.
Various profit metrics that a business can use to improve their
financial status are found in this reference book. Profit itself is a term for the remaining
revenue when costs are taken into account. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Profit can be
improved through increased revenue, or reduced costs. Changes that appear simple, but are complex in
practice. Reducing costs can hinder
product quality, which effects the reputation of the business. The business itself might have a quality
product, but has competitors that are more efficient. This book is a short guide on what to look
for when considering changes that effect the business. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Caveats?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As a reference book, there is not
much analysis on the metrics. As each
business is different, each business may need to use different methods and
focus on different metrics to improve their business. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is profit?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does profit effect society?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does profit effect the business?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How can your business increase profits? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How to improve revenues? Are there consequences to improving revenues?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are the different revenue models? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How to reduce costs? Are there consequences to reducing costs?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are profit metrics/ratios?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are Earnings per Share? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What does ROI indicate? </div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>This book was provided by the author</div><div>Publisher: Independently Published</div><div>Edition ISBN: 9781099968822</div><div>Pages to read: 34</div><div>Publication: 2019</div><div>1st Edition: 2019</div><div>Format: Paperback</div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 5</div><div>Content 3</div><div>Overall 3</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-3656824351041019692024-02-08T19:34:00.007-05:002024-02-08T20:10:24.695-05:00Review of The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror by Bernard Lewis<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/history-empires.html">History, Empires</a></span></div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://inquiryformanantilibrary.blogspot.com/p/get-to-know-this-worlds-people-regions.html" target="">Get To Know The Peoples Of The World</a> (<a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/empires-of-islam.html">Empires of Islam</a>), </div><div>2) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-is-power-of-belief-systems.html">What Is The Power Of Belief Systems?</a>, 3) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/why-conflict-occurs-and-how-to-resolve.html">Why Conflict Occurs And How To Resolve Them?</a>, </div><div>4) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/the-persecuted-and-persecutors.html">The Persecuted and The Persecutors</a>, </div><div>5) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/the-motive-method-ideology-and.html">The Motive, Method, Ideology, and Consequences of Intervention</a>, 6) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/to-cooperate-or-to-defect.html">To Cooperate Or To Defect?</a>, 7) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/when-intelligence-goes-wrong.html">When Intelligence Goes Wrong</a>, </div><div>8) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/why-do-people-think-differently.html">Why Do People Think Differently?</a>, 9) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-defines-culture-how-to-belong-to.html">What Defines A Culture? How To Belong To A Community?</a>, </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrRTnDqmjcdahtZ6LOSGndw-jTBzuNuzsiXE_rVu7WUr-wC0CoyDP-MEv5Rpp9vL8c5jz8NPw6AlcYDK7flGLdmTkRUy2xDr2YRxDeWcEZzL9M9VoSxjaPOOYVqcsl9oMGCAWCu3b8j784QVeX-d8i8BEAzOB-i_48MEEQAP5nKQ7St42J_d4-_27Ts1U/s946/Cover%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="666" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrRTnDqmjcdahtZ6LOSGndw-jTBzuNuzsiXE_rVu7WUr-wC0CoyDP-MEv5Rpp9vL8c5jz8NPw6AlcYDK7flGLdmTkRUy2xDr2YRxDeWcEZzL9M9VoSxjaPOOYVqcsl9oMGCAWCu3b8j784QVeX-d8i8BEAzOB-i_48MEEQAP5nKQ7St42J_d4-_27Ts1U/s320/Cover%202.png" width="225" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O8OINhBkDHM" width="320" youtube-src-id="O8OINhBkDHM"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Excerpts</b></i></i></div></div></div>“During Muhammad’s lifetime, the
Muslims became at once a political and a religious community, with the Prophet
as head of state. As such, he governed a
place and a people, dispensed justice, collected taxes, commanded armies, waged
war and made peace. For the formative
first generation of Muslims, whose adventures are the sacred history of Islam,
there was no protracted testing by a persecution, no tradition of resistance to
a hostile state power.” – Bernard Lewis, Chapter 1: Defining Islam, Page 6<div><br />“Since then, there is a new perception of the Crusades as an
early prototype of the expansion of European imperialism into the Islamic world. A more accurate description would present
them as a long-delayed, very limited, and finally ineffectual response to the
jihad. The Crusades ended in failure and
defeat, and were soon forgotten in the lands of Islam, but later European
efforts to resist and reverse the Muslim advance into Christendom were more
successful, and initiated what became a series of painful defeats on the
frontiers of the Islamic world.” – Bernard Lewis, Chapter 3: From Crusaders To
Imperialists, Page 51</div><div><br /></div><div>“Oil wealth also had negative political effects, by
inhibiting the development of representative institutions. “No taxation without representation” marks a
crucial step in the development of Western democracy. Unfortunately, the converse is also true – no
representation without taxation. Governments
with oil wealth have no need for popular assemblies to impose and collect
taxes, and can afford, for some time at least, to disregard public
opinion. Even that term has little
meaning in such societies. Lacking any
other outlet, new and growing discontents also find expression in religious
extremist movements.” – Bernard Lewis, Chapter 8: The Marriage Of Saudi Power
And Wahhabi Teaching, Pages 130-131<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Islam has a diverse community,
formed by diverse views. There are those
who seek peace and friendly relations with others, but there are also those who
seek to justify conflict. This book is
focused on explaining why there are those who want conflict, on the
justifications. The Islamic community
had been a leading civilization in military power, commerce, and science. But since at least the 17<sup>th</sup>
century, Islamic communities have been falling behind. Without an effective resolution to the
gap. There are those who place the fault
on Western imperialism. Some sources of
material support came from foreign sponsors who also provided a philosophy to
express anti-Western sentiments.
Although foreign influence did not cause the sentiments, many Islamic
states were receptive to the sentiments.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Those who seek
conflict, need an enemy to retain power.
Even creating conflict to prevent cooperation and diplomatic
relations. In Muslim states, there is no
separation of government and religion. Islam has a devote population with high
participation, and deference to the community that is no longer found in the
West. Giving people an identity, and
obtaining loyalty. There are those who
seek a pure and authentic Islam. A
piousness that restricts behavior, with those who commit inappropriate behavior
seen as legitimate targets of conflict. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Caveats?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As this book focuses on
understanding those seeking conflict, there is not much on those seeking
cooperation. There is a lot of Islamic
history, with this book covering relatively few events that focus on explaining
the claims.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are the different Islamic communities?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the reach of Islam? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the history of Islamic communities? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What caused the decline of Islamic communities?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How are Muslim states organized? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What does Islam provide for people in the 20th century? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does religion and government effect each other? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What effect does Islam have on behavior and effect how other people’s behavior is interpreted? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the succession plan for Islamic communities? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do people justify conflict?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are the obligation of people when at war? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why do people want to prevent diplomatic relations?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What foreign support did Islamic communities receive? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did European activities effect Islamic lands during the 18 century C.E. and later?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did European imperialism effect Islamic states?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What was the effect of Saddam Hussein?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Afghanistan think of the Soviets? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What was the effect of the Soviets on Islamic states?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What effect did the Muslim Brotherhood have? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why did Saladin proclaim a jihad against Crusaders? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Saladin lead the community?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What was the effects of the Crusades? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do anti-American Muslims think of America? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What political power do democrats and Islamist have? Which has an advantage? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is madrasa?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is fatwa? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is Jihad? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the effect of oil wealth? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What happened to Salman Rushdie? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is Wahhabism?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>Publisher: Moden Library Edition [Random House]</div><div>Edition ISBN: 0679642811</div><div>Pages to read: 181</div><div>Publication: 2003</div><div>1st Edition: 2003</div><div>Format: Hardcover </div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 5</div><div>Content 3</div><div>Overall 3</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-13625241965939200472024-02-04T15:12:00.005-05:002024-02-04T16:40:07.448-05:00Review of The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth by Jonathan Rauch<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/epistemology.html">Philosophy, Epistemology</a></span></div><div>Book Club Event = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/book-club-book-list.html">Book List</a> (04/27/2024)</div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/the-persecuted-and-persecutors.html">The Persecuted and The Persecutors</a>, 2) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/war-for-your-attention.html">War for Your Attention</a>, </div><div>3) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-does-technology-modify-society.html">How Does Digital Technology Modify Society?</a>, 4) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-does-data-get-use-and-misused.html">How Does Data Get Use, And Misused?</a>, </div><div>5) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/to-cooperate-or-to-defect.html">To Cooperate Or To Defect?</a>, 6) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-to-have-better-conversation.html">How To Have A Conversation?</a>, 7) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/when-intelligence-goes-wrong.html">When Intelligence Goes Wrong</a>, 8) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/why-conflict-occurs-and-how-to-resolve.html">Why Conflict Occurs And How To Resolve Them?</a>, 9) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/why-do-people-think-differently.html">Why Do People Think Differently?</a>, </div><div>10) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/why-is-behavior-of-individuals.html">Why Is Behavior of Individuals Different When They Are in A Group?</a>, </div><div>11) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-information-and-books-survive-test.html">How Information and Books Survive the Test of Time, and How They Change</a>, </div><div>12) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-defines-culture-how-to-belong-to.html">What Defines A Culture? How To Belong To A Community?</a>, </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbft7wTN_-ztS35JSXQvbWOotUhWJp9w5Zdq8yFdAsMshf-06vVHWaUV9MwKHdxgWwK1EeD3ihqRAAfgRdxrpqux3jDxiUyww7VEFp7kELCkNF_-fbheaCyYpvM9pJBUjrhMQXlE6I9m-_4gysV3XCPfJW0WdMhfM3tVKLSmQC9slZ6jdSoLN-d4EwseY/s1033/Cover%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1033" data-original-width="688" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbft7wTN_-ztS35JSXQvbWOotUhWJp9w5Zdq8yFdAsMshf-06vVHWaUV9MwKHdxgWwK1EeD3ihqRAAfgRdxrpqux3jDxiUyww7VEFp7kELCkNF_-fbheaCyYpvM9pJBUjrhMQXlE6I9m-_4gysV3XCPfJW0WdMhfM3tVKLSmQC9slZ6jdSoLN-d4EwseY/s320/Cover%202.png" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bQHszpYixRQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="bQHszpYixRQ"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Excerpts</b></i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“Humans are social animals.
What matters most from an evolutionary perspective is not that a person
forms beliefs which are true; it is that she forms beliefs which lead to social
success. In effect, what matters most is
not what <i>I</i> believe or what <i>you</i> believe but what <i>we</i>
believe.” – Jonathan Rauch, Chapter 2: The State of Nature: Tribal Truth, Page
42</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“The answer is: <i>of course</i>
scientists are biased. But that premise
does not justify the conclusion that liberal science as a whole is biased. Although members of the reality-based
community may be as blind to their own errors and biases as anybody else, they
are not blind to the errors and biases of those with whom they disagree. What matters is not that individuals in the
community be unbiased but that they have <i>different </i>biases, so that I see
your mistakes and you see mine.” – Jonathan Rauch, Chapter 3: Booting
Reality: The Rise of Networked knowledge, Page 86</p><p style="text-align: right;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“Both criticism and coercive conformity take the form of
people arguing about something, but they belong to very different worlds. Criticism expresses arguments or evidence
with the goal of influencing opinion through rational persuasion. It belongs to the realm of
truth-seeking. Canceling belongs to the
realm of propaganda warfare: like other forms of information warfare, it seeks
to organize and manipulate a social or media environment to demoralize,
deplatform, isolate, or intimidate an adversary. Like disinformation and trolling, its
interest is not in discovering knowledge but in shaping the information
battlefield.” – Jonathan Rauch, Chapter 7: Canceling: Despotism of the Few,
Page 230<o:p></o:p></p><div><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Knowledge is a communal process, a journey, rather than a
destination. To find each other’s
errors, then correct them. To discard
ideas that have been disconfirmed. The
constitution of knowledge is meant to provide guidance on how to handle
differences of perspectives. Viewpoint
diversity is needed, with each claim going through challenges and accommodation
to enable a social convergence. To hear
different viewpoints, requires tolerance of a contentious intellectual
culture. Making claims and validating
ideas without personal attacks, and without anyone having a final say. Not even personal authority can validate
claims, as everyone is fallible. The
constitution of knowledge creates an epistemic environment where people are protected,
but their ideas are not.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">While the constitution of knowledge is meant to enable
society to have better information, society can face an epistemic crisis in
which the quality and sources of information have been degraded. As people are not able to tell the difference
between truth and falsehood. Some ways
that information can be degraded is through ideological tribalism, trolling,
and canceling. An epistemic crisis comes
about when people attack the informational environment, not just people or
facts.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Humans are social animals that depend not on forming true
beliefs, but beliefs that lead to social success. What matters is what the group believes. As people want to belong to a tribe, there is
a willingness to purposefully interpret information incorrectly, to protect the
tribe. Internet trolls confuse and
disrupt, while cancelers coerce. Rather
than seek to improve the knowledge base, trolls weaponize outrage to capture
attention which demobilizes people through demoralization. Cancelers signal tribal support, by
expressing public outrage that is meant to isolate and intimidate the
opposition rather than provide fair criticism.
Through attacks on epistemic sources, viewpoint diversity has become
endangered.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>What Is Knowledge And The Effect Biases?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Certainty might be sought after, but certainty is not
compatible with knowledge. Alternatively
there is fallibilism, that any belief is to be discarded when there is
experience against them. With
fallibilism, uncertainty is ubiquitous but obtaining knowledge is still
possible. Knowledge is always
provisional. Fallibilist search for
errors, as disconfirmation can be found.
What remains by removing the errors, is the best available knowledge.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is through the communal process of error correction that
each scientist’s biases can be limited. Scientists
are biased, and they might not recognize their own biases, but they can spot
other people’s biases. By having
different biases, each scientist can see the mistakes of the others. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>What Is The Constitution Of Knowledge? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The constitution of knowledge is meant to compel and
organize social negotiation. To accept
challenges to claims, and seek to compromise or accommodate. To be resilient and innovate without the
system breaking down. Competition with
belief systems provides a need to compromise them. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Constitution of knowledge does not require people to agree
on facts. It requires people with
different views towards social convergence.
Real intellectual pluralism and viewpoint diversity need to be actively
sought for. Agreement on ideas is not
viewpoint diversity. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Reality-based (error-seeking) communities are accountable to
each other, not a higher authority. There
is a separation between the idea and the person. Ideas can be attacked, but not the character
of the person. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The constitution of knowledge has commitments to
fallibilism, objectivity, exclusivity, disconfirmation, and
accountability. There is also an
internal value of epistemic conscience of not selecting favorable data or
hiding unfavorable data. Fallibilism is
about accepting being wrong. Objectivity
is about the empirical rule, that people are interchangeable. Exclusivity is about using the constitutions
rules for objectivity. Disconfirmation
is needed to challenge claims rather than just confirm already accepted claims. Accountability is about making mistakes
acceptable, not to punish them too harshly. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How Tribal identity Effects Intelligence And Intelligence
Effects Tribal Identity? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">People defer to their tribes for beliefs and attitudes. Groups establish a shared perception of
reality. People are tribal and change
their belief system to the tribe’s views, to prevent a loss of social
reputation and group identity.
Evolutionary habituated to defend the group’s ideas, to prevent
alienation from the group. When the
group’s values are threatened, people interpret evidence incorrectly to protect
the group.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Reason does not override group identity. Group solidarity creates ideological
conflict. Creating epistemic tribalism. People publicly conform to information they
privately know is false. Totalitarian
regimes require everyone to pretend to believe ideas, that they know privately
to be false. Ideological tribes believe
that only one side can prevail, requiring the destruction of the other side’s
political force.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">With neutral data that is not part of an ideological
background, a person can interpret data well.
But when data is shown to be about a passionate topic attached to an
ideological background, the person interprets the data based on ideological
background. Emotionally charged issues
enable the exploitation and manipulation of people. Although emotions rationalize political
loyalties, people claim that policy views were formed through reason. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">More intelligent people were better able to interpret
neutral data, but had more biased interpretations for the passionate topics. Intelligence enables people to better
rationalize false beliefs. Intelligence
does not necessarily make people open-minded, or self-critical thinking. Motivated reasoning weaponized intelligence
against reality. Seeing others as a
wrong, while not seeing the individual as biased. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How Epistemic Crisis Are Formed?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Journalists are meant to seek accuracy, obtain a comment
from the target, consider varied viewpoints, among other factors to avoid a
conflict of interest. There are times
when the news are wrong and therefore retract the entries. Errors are meant to signal integrity, but
those attacking information see error correction as proof of corruption.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Digital media reverses the social incentives of the
reality-based community. Rather than
slowing down information flow by reviewing and testing before sharing, digital
media favors instantaneity and impulsivity.
Anonymity makes people lose accountability and become sociopathic. Misinformation tends to be more inflammatory
and shared then boring reality. Digital
media promotes ad hominem attacks rather than marginalizes them. Digital media attacks the person rather than
the idea. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For internet trolls, the point is capturing attention,
rather than the quality of the content.
Troll epistemology is destructive.
It does not create knowledge, trust, or settle disagreements. What troll epistemology does is reduce the
information environment of reality-based communities. Propaganda creates the condition in which
people cannot tell the difference between truth and falsehood, or even methods
of distinguishing between them.
Demoralization is a source of political power, as it demobilizes people. Demotivating people to feel helpless, that
they cannot change anything, that there is no alternative to the totalitarian
regime.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Cancelers do not even read the content that they are
canceling. What canceling is about is
signaling support for their group rather than any targeted idea or person. Cancel campaigns are meant to isolate,
intimidate, and demoralize rather than provide fair criticism. While criticism wants to influence through
rational persuasion. Canceling is
propaganda warfare that shapes the informational battlefield against knowledge.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Emotional safetyism is problematic as it prevents having
conversations about ideas that makes people feel unsafe. Turing all experiences into threats. Creates conflict through perpetual
anger. While reality-based community
rewards challenging claims, safety-based community rewards emotional
demonstrations that hinder challengers. Rather
than preventing harmful ideas, they enabling harmful ideas. Enabling a censorship of every idea and
person. Creating conditions for
self-censorship through norm police, has the consequence of building resentment
that becomes expressed by voting for a demagogue. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Caveats?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There is an idealism about science,
about error correcting systems. As error
correcting is a community function, there is a conflict between the ideal
outcomes and group dynamics. The referenced
tribal biases, and weaponizing intelligence against reality. The focus is on the ideal outcomes, the
benefits of error correcting, while not referencing the potential consequences
of error correcting. Skepticism about
information is needed for error correcting, but skepticism can be misused. Troll epistemic attacks leverage uncertainty
and turn it against the community.
Creating the referenced epistemic crisis of not knowing what information
to trust.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The author’s claims about tribal biases, causing people to
confirm ideas favorable to the tribe while disregard ideas unfavorable to the
tribe. Tribal biases effect the author
as well. The author is a journalist, and
in this book fought for journalistic integrity.
The author and many journalists might have integrity, but not every
journalist. The author defends news
making retractions after an error, and how journalists are fact based. The problem is that published news tend to be
viewed way more than the retractions, therefore the errors are not actually
corrected for the public. Journalists
might be fact based, but they can deliver some facts while avoiding other facts
which changes how the information is interpretated. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The author blames social media with quick spread of information,
and misinformation. Being quick to
spread means not being able to check and validate the information as much as
the slower news mediums. The problem is
that the slower news are not ideal either. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In part, the author makes the case that personal authority
is antagonistic to knowledge development.
But then the author wants professionalism and institutionalism which
enable an authority, even as they are described as being without. Disapproves of amateurs, but that is
contradictory to the claims of error correcting. People start as amateurs and then improve
themselves through error correcting. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the constitution of knowledge?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is knowledge?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What can and cannot validate claims?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is an epistemic crisis?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the epistemic tragedy of the commons? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does tribalism effect the interpretation of information?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do ideological tribes deal with dissent? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Do people interpret dispassionate and passionate topics the same way?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does motivated reasoning effect how intelligence people interpret data?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What do internet trolls do?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What do cancelers do?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How to tell the difference between being cancelled and criticized? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is fallibilism?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does emotional safetyism effect society? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is a reality-based community?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What does viewpoint diversity mean?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What effect does digital media have on information?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What kind of community is Wikipedia?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How would someone behave if they had a ring that made them invisible? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is sociopathy? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How is the Constitution of The Unites States related to the Constitution of Knowledge? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who should be allowed to speak and be heard? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What does it take to change someone mind? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is liberal science? How is liberal science different than science? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How can scientists persist with making bad claims/ideas? </div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>Publisher: The Brookings Institution [Brookings Institution Press]</div><div>Edition ISBN: 9780815738879</div><div>Pages to read: 266</div><div>Publication: 2021</div><div>1st Edition: 2021</div><div>Format: eBook </div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 4</div><div>Content 4</div><div>Overall 4</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-26175935528808889032024-01-31T13:46:00.008-05:002024-03-16T15:50:04.167-04:00Review of The Invention of the Land of Israel: From Holy Land to Homeland by Shlomo Sand<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/history-empires.html">History, Empires</a></span></div><div>Book Club Event = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/book-club-book-list.html">Book List</a> (03/16/2024)</div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/get-to-know-this-worlds-people-regions.html">Get To Know The Peoples Of The World</a> (<a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/israel.html">Israel</a>), </div><div>2) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-is-sovereignty-is-gained-and-lost.html">How Is Sovereignty Is Gained And Lost?</a>, 3) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/the-persecuted-and-persecutors.html">The Persecuted and The Persecutors</a>, </div><div>4) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/the-rights-of-property-physical.html">The Rights of Property: Physical, Intellectual, and Other Property Rights</a>, </div><div>5) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-is-power-of-belief-systems.html">What Is The Power Of Belief Systems?</a>, 6) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/to-cooperate-or-to-defect.html">To Cooperate Or To Defect?</a>, 7) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/war-for-your-attention.html">War for Your Attention</a>, 8) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/why-conflict-occurs-and-how-to-resolve.html">Why Conflict Occurs And How To Resolve Them?</a>, </div><div>9) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-defines-culture-how-to-belong-to.html">What Defines A Culture? How To Belong To A Community?</a>, </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqHIQbqx6We_QJ0g2NEcchwqfYmusn-rUjUDlPGgxORGj_kZZOyV9Xe36bGqh0zymTdE6_MHblYmBy6XBU3t9cX9wb2DUFJ8GUsJFC4fw09DPsfRUCW_uE4e3lZcFJrEV0RfRKXDFPn1o1i3c17j4LpuETdUBZXi14ffK2vWsSGrnffwtjusYlWSbcxI/s1126/Cover%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1126" data-original-width="747" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqHIQbqx6We_QJ0g2NEcchwqfYmusn-rUjUDlPGgxORGj_kZZOyV9Xe36bGqh0zymTdE6_MHblYmBy6XBU3t9cX9wb2DUFJ8GUsJFC4fw09DPsfRUCW_uE4e3lZcFJrEV0RfRKXDFPn1o1i3c17j4LpuETdUBZXi14ffK2vWsSGrnffwtjusYlWSbcxI/s320/Cover%202.png" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qpg6RA9cW-w" width="320" youtube-src-id="Qpg6RA9cW-w"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Excerpts</b></i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“Such a view could be maintained only
by providing the masses with a mythological image of the exile of a people that
ostensibly took place in the first century BCE, despite the fact that the
scholarly elite was well aware that such an exile never really occurred during
the entire period in question. For this
reason, not even one research-based book has thus been written on the forced
uprooting of the “Jewish people.”” – Shlomo Sand, Chapter, Page 12</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“The original Christian Zionist idea of settling Jews in
Palestine presented itself as a means of bypassing this obstacle to the
establishment of an imperial foothold in the Middle East. After all, the Jews were a natural ally of
Britain, which was known to be the least anti-Semitic country in Europe and a
long-standing admirer of the ancient Hebrews.” – Shlomo Sand, Chapter Three:
Toward a Christian Zionism: And Balfour Promised the Land, Page 154</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“As a result of the increasing pressure on the Jews of
Europe, and the absence of countries willing to grant them entry and refuge,
more and more Jews and non-Jews alike came to be convinced of the importance of
this new consciousness of right, transforming it into an indisputable “natural
right.” <span face="Calibri, sans-serif">The fact that for thirteen hundred years the
inhabitants of the region had been overwhelmingly Muslim was countered by
maintaining that this local population did not possess the unique attributes of
a nation and had never claimed self-determination.</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">By contrast, according to Zionist discourse,
the Jewish nation had always existed and, in every generation, had aspired to
return to its country and realize its right, although to its great misfortune
it had always been prevented from doing so by political circumstance.” – Shlomo
Sand, Chapter Four: Zionism versus Judaism: The Conquest of “Ethnic” Space,
Page 205</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jews were settling in the Middle
East since the 19<sup>th</sup> century, but Israel was made possible by early
20<sup>th</sup> mass immigration due to persecution, consequences of war, and
anti-immigration policies of other states.
Ideas of settling Palestine were a 19<sup>th</sup> century Christian
Zionist invention. Supported by the
British as a way to overcome colonialization limitations in the area, which
would have given the British access to the area along with allies. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To take territory that
would become Israel, a historic claim was made on the land. That the people owned the land who did not
live on it for over two millennia, while denying the right to the land to those
who lived on the land continuously for centuries. That the local people did not claim
self-determination. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sovereign ownership
of the land was justified by a myth, that the land was the ancestral land in
possession of the Jewish people. An
exile was part of the myth, an exile that never happened. A myth of a people having a desire to return
to the ancestral land, but when Jewish groups were expelled from other regions
due to religious persecution, they did not historically want to seek refuge in
the sacred land. Jews relocated to other
locations.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>What Myths Justified Israel? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Myths were created by disregarding history. To avoid the history of Judaism as a dynamic
and proselytizing religion. To pretend
that history does not contain various Judaized kingdoms that flourished. To forget the converted Jews by the Judaized
kingdoms. Myths meant to disregard the
territory’s local peasants.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There was no exile, nor was there yearning to return. Faithful Jews spread across the world. Jews were not limited to a small territory,
but where to be found everywhere.
Believers not through punishment. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The myth was developed to get Western sympathy, particularly
Protestant Christian community who preceded Zionists ideas. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How Was The Concept Of Israel Formed? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The term Land of Israel came after the destruction of the
Temple. With the area being defined as
Palestina by the Roman Empire. It was
during the 20<sup>th</sup> century that the Land of Israel became a theological
concept due to the Protestants. It was
the Puritans which interested the Bible as historical text before the Jewish
Zionists. That was when the geonational
concept was refined. Israel as a
homeland came after nationalism, making sacrificing for the sake of homeland a
much later interpretation and myth.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How Does Power Transforms A People?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Founded on fluid borders, which had the option of
expanding. And did expand. Founded on ideas that Jews were persecuted
who had nowhere else to go, but the territorial expansion and military victory
that were not related to Jewish suffering.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jews had been powerless and persecuted, but had become
powerful and abused their power. The
persecuted had become the persecutors.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They portrayed themselves as saviors rather than conquerors
of foreign lands. There is debate
whether Palestinians left willingly or because of the bombings. Many have justified Zionist colonization by
the ancestral lands claim. Israel
controls a large Palestinian population who have no sovereignty.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Caveats?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The focus is on how the concept of
Israel came to be. The myths involved in
making Israel, and breaking the myths.
The practical reason for how Israel came to be. This is not a detailed political or social
history of Israel.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What Jewish myths were created?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What were the myths used for?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why migrate to the Middle East?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Where did the historical concept of the land of Israel come from?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What justified taking the land of Israel?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Did the local people have sovereignty?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Do the Jews have an ancestral land?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Were Jews exiled from the Middle East in the 1st century B.C.E.?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Did Jews want to return to the Middle East?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Were there Judaic kingdoms?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Did Judaism proselytize? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How were Israels borders defined?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Have Jews changed after being in Israel? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the Temple?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Are humans biologically territorial? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do homelands develop? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did marriage customs change?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does Israel maintain its political and military power? </div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>Translator: Geremy Forman</div><div>Original Language: Hebrew</div><div>Translated Into: English</div><div>Publisher: Verso [New Left Books]</div><div>Edition ISBN: 9781844679461</div><div>Pages to read: 281</div><div>Publication: 2012</div><div>1st Edition: 2012</div><div>Format: Hardcover </div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 3</div><div>Content 5</div><div>Overall 4</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-10388002184519183782024-01-27T08:53:00.004-05:002024-01-27T09:35:57.495-05:00Review of Civilization: The West and the Rest by Niall Ferguson<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/history.html">History</a></span></div></div><div>Book Club Event = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/book-club-book-list.html">Book List</a> (06/08/2024)</div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://inquiryformanantilibrary.blogspot.com/p/get-to-know-this-worlds-people-regions.html" target="">Get To Know The Peoples Of The World</a> (<a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/world-history.html">World History</a>), </div><div>2) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-is-power-of-belief-systems.html">What Is The Power Of Belief Systems?</a>, 3) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-competitive-is-competition.html">How Competitive Is Competition?</a>, </div><div>4) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/the-rights-of-property-physical.html">The Rights of Property: Physical, Intellectual, and Other Property Rights</a>, </div><div>5) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-makes-science-science.html">What Makes Science A Science?</a>, </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeV9kLSfPKAzR2hDECKeI3_u5l4NryqN-5KAZL4ZntVRUDeQ5hgkBhr0jzz3lcsFw1cqBHnAehva_ykqvScvkPvndl2HVxt2mbQJ59D3x_UcDbxtRruaVJVtXeh0QlK872Yxg84VixAzxd_L9kqFZwY7BPTAetBVnpJaQXVbx-A-P0eRGu4auO1Hf563s/s1167/Cover%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1167" data-original-width="747" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeV9kLSfPKAzR2hDECKeI3_u5l4NryqN-5KAZL4ZntVRUDeQ5hgkBhr0jzz3lcsFw1cqBHnAehva_ykqvScvkPvndl2HVxt2mbQJ59D3x_UcDbxtRruaVJVtXeh0QlK872Yxg84VixAzxd_L9kqFZwY7BPTAetBVnpJaQXVbx-A-P0eRGu4auO1Hf563s/s320/Cover%202.png" width="205" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DNkZoHCrFmY" width="320" youtube-src-id="DNkZoHCrFmY"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Excerpts</b></i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“By contrast, Western Europe in 1411
would have struck you as a miserable backwater, recuperating from the ravages
of the Black Death – which had reduced population by as much as half as it
swept eastwards between 1347 and 1351 – and still plagued by bad sanitation and
seemingly incessant war.” – Niall Ferguson, Introduction: Rasselas’s
Question, Page 4</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“For Europeans, sailing round Africa was not about exacting
symbolic tribute for some high and mighty potentate back home. It was about getting ahead of their rivals,
both economically and politically.” – Niall Ferguson, Chapter 1: Competition,
Page 33</p><p style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“The reality of Chávez’s regime, however, is
that it is a sham democracy, in which the police and media are used as weapons
against political opponents and the revenues from the country’s plentiful oil
fields are used to buy support from the populace in the form of subsidized
import prices, handouts and bribes.
Private property rights, so central to the legal and political order of
the United States, are routinely violated.” – Niall Ferguson, Chapter, Page 128</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Until the 15<sup>th</sup> century,
the east held power and wealth while the west was impoverished. But the relative status was reversed. The rise of the west was due to various empowering
factors, that the east either lost or lacked.
As the west rose, the rest began to adapt western institutions and
operational methods. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Six factors brought
power to the west which were competition, science,
property rights, medicine, a consumer society, and a work ethic. Decentralized
decision making enabled competition, that created conditions for a need to
improve to be able to overcome rivals.
Science was used to systematically understand the world, which provided military
advantages. Property rights provided an
incentive for people to invest in their future, and resolve disputes
peacefully. Medicine improved health and
life expectancy. The consumer society
enabled a sustainable system of economic development. A work ethic that enabled the production of
wealth. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Caveats?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<div style="text-align: left;">The west and east are homogenized,
using different states to compare and contrast each other. Making each state representative of other
western or eastern states. The different
factors are represented through different states, rather than how they
coalesced and effected a state. Although
the factors can be generalized, they did not affect each state on either side
the same way. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The factors were
influential, but there is a survivorship bias.
The evidence given supported the claim that the factors gave rise to the
west, but nothing on societies that had the factors while did not rise. The book focuses on events and the factors during
and after the 15<sup>th</sup> century, with some information about the
empowering factors before the 15<sup>th</sup> century in the east. Showing the effect of the factors before the
15<sup>th</sup> century on the east would have given the factors more
validity. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The empowering factors were not the only factors effecting
states. Historically wealthy states had
their successes, and problems. The focus
on only the empowering factors leading to success, creates data gaps that can
lead to a wrong understanding on the effect of the factors. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The author complains about the lack of historic
learning. That when people do learn from
history, that they learn idiosyncratic history without connection. This book does not improve historic
explanations by much, as the examples are idiosyncratic even if they are
generalized. Sometimes the context and
explanations do not match. The
explanations need to be improved. </div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why did the east and west have a power and wealth reversal?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What factors were involved in the rise of the west?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did competition effect society?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What was science used for?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why was science valued in the west and not the east?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who made the Enlightenment possible?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are property rights?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did medicine effect society? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Is a consumer society only for consumption?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did infinite choice become homogenizing societies?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does a work ethic effect society? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What was the source of the west’s work ethic?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who made most of history? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How to think about history? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are the aspects of civilization? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What happened to the voyages of Zheng He?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What did Bolivar want for South America? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What kind of democracy did Hugo Chávez have? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why did the British use coal? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How was a consumer society formed? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the effect of religion? </div><div><br /></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>Edition: First American Edition</div><div>Publisher: The Penguin Press [Penguin Group]</div><div>Edition ISBN: 9781594203053</div><div>Pages to read: 341</div><div>Publication: 2011</div><div>1st Edition: 2011</div><div>Format: Hardcover </div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 4</div><div>Content 3</div><div>Overall 3</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-64621445852753471832024-01-23T14:09:00.006-05:002024-01-23T15:22:36.513-05:00Review of The Myth of Left and Right: How the Political Spectrum Misleads and Harms America by Verlan Lewis, Hyrum Lewis<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/politics.html">Politics</a></span></div><div>Book Club Event = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/book-club-book-list.html">Book List</a> (06/01/2024)</div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-is-power-of-belief-systems.html">What Is The Power Of Belief Systems?</a>, 2) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/to-cooperate-or-to-defect.html">To Cooperate Or To Defect?</a>, </div><div>3) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/why-is-behavior-of-individuals.html">Why Is Behavior of Individuals Different When They Are in A Group?</a>, </div><div>4) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-defines-culture-how-to-belong-to.html">What Defines A Culture? How To Belong To A Community?</a>, 5) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/when-intelligence-goes-wrong.html">When Intelligence Goes Wrong</a>, </div><div>6) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/the-persecuted-and-persecutors.html">The Persecuted and The Persecutors</a>, 7) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/why-do-people-think-differently.html">Why Do People Think Differently?</a>, </div><div>8) <a href="https://inquiryformanantilibrary.blogspot.com/p/get-to-know-this-worlds-people-regions.html" target="">Get To Know The Peoples Of The World</a> (<a href="https://inquiryformanantilibrary.blogspot.com/p/united-states-of-america.html">United States of America</a>), </div><div>9) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-does-data-get-use-and-misused.html">How Does Data Get Use, And Misused?</a>, 10) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/why-conflict-occurs-and-how-to-resolve.html">Why Conflict Occurs And How To Resolve Them?</a>, </div><div>11) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-competitive-is-competition.html">How Competitive Is Competition?</a>, 12) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-to-have-better-conversation.html">How To Have A Conversation?</a>, </div><div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcc0VwjVQtm2dSek93p0YQM0UXjkEsJG4pNziJAhxkfkWIdnK9qwsf071Rd8BAJ8GMU-pBdTlXYfDXmQeJl-btpQw6t1Ah43dLb4yAZrhrM1ShjPxQbExPQxNXKEPN1HEMpFo9JTkHVTd8pHb4gRTGNS6LdF5xgATwzVBjGYY6rntKBWLyXqJlYwV69SM/s1045/Cover%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1045" data-original-width="686" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcc0VwjVQtm2dSek93p0YQM0UXjkEsJG4pNziJAhxkfkWIdnK9qwsf071Rd8BAJ8GMU-pBdTlXYfDXmQeJl-btpQw6t1Ah43dLb4yAZrhrM1ShjPxQbExPQxNXKEPN1HEMpFo9JTkHVTd8pHb4gRTGNS6LdF5xgATwzVBjGYY6rntKBWLyXqJlYwV69SM/s320/Cover%202.png" width="210" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B9Fu8e5YWzY" width="320" youtube-src-id="B9Fu8e5YWzY"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Excerpts</b></i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“As an alternative to this
essentialist theory of ideology, we propose the <i>social theory of ideology</i>. While the essentialist theory says that
distinct political positions correlate because they are bound by a unifying
essence, the social theory says that issues correlate because they are bound by
a unifying tribe. According to the
essentialist theory, people start with an essential principle, use that
principle to think themselves to hundreds of distinct political positions, and
then join the tribe that just happen to agree with them on all of these
positions. The social theory says this
is backward: people first anchor into an ideological tribe (because of family,
peers, or a single issue), adopt the positions of the tribe as a matter of
socialization, and only then invent a story that ties all of those positions
together. Ideologies, in other words,
are reverse engineered to fit tribal actions and attachments.” – Verlan
Lewis, and Hyrum Lewis, Chapter 1: The Myth of Left and Right, Page 18</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“But even as more dimensions were added to politics, <i>Americans
retained their old unidimensional model</i>.
The ideological landscape had changed, but the map of the landscape had
not. The political framework in the late
twentieth century when a proliferation of new political issues rendered a
unidimensional approach to politics obsolete, and yet ideologues wouldn’t face
up to this reality: they wanted to believe that their side was right about
everything and the other wrong about everything.” – Verlan Lewis, and Hyrum
Lewis, Chapter 3: The Development of Left and Right, Page 44</p><p style="text-align: right;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“The problem for American politics, then, is not tribalism
per se – after all, tribalism is a fundamental part of human nature and an
inevitable part of politics – the problem is that we don’t <i>acknowledge</i>
the tribalism. Instead of confronting
the reality that we are conforming to tribes, we tell ourselves reassuring
stories about how everything our party believes just happens to grow out of a
principled ideological essence.” – Verlan Lewis, and Hyrum Lewis, Chapter 5:
The Persistence of Left and Right, Page 93<o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Humans are social animals.
Wanting to belong to a tribe is normal, but the tribal categories are
not. There are different ways to
understand the political spectrum. The
essentialist theory of ideology, or alternatively, the social theory of
ideology. Principles or group
dynamics. The essentialist theory of
ideology claims that all political issues are related to a single underlying
issue, an essence. That diverse issues
are connected to a unifying essence.
That people find a tribe that that fits all of the myriad issues they
agree with. The social theory of
ideology claims that diverse issues are connected by a tribe. People choose a tribe, then defer to the
tribe for their values. People are
socialized into the values of the tribe, then construct a narrative to justify
their choices. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Political discussions tend to assume that there is an
essence to each tribe, that there is an underlying theme for each tribe. But no such underlying theme exists. The political spectrum of left or right is
not an indicator of what an individual thinks about ideas. All it indicates, is a commitment to a
tribe. When making claims, people signal
support for a tribe rather than the claim.
They signal tribal solidarity, rather than adherence to principles. People are willing to abandon their beliefs,
but not their tribes.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ideologies do not define tribes, rather, it is the tribe
that defines ideologies. The tribe makes
a decision, even if opposing eve0rything they have done before, then the people
justify the decision and following actions as being in accordance with the
essence. What essentialism does is
reduce cognitive ability, as it enables a confirmation bias. The more intelligent people are better able
to misinterpret information to protect their tribe, and justify tribal
prejudice.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Do Political Tribes Have An Essence? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The political parties have similar decision and do similar
activities, they just do them differently.
But they want to create division, thereby claim that the opposition is
different. Both claim to want to reverse
their opposition’s policies.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The political spectrum is defined in a way that includes
people who have polar opposite ideas, but are forced to be on one side. Narratives can be created about any essence
that unite diverse issues. A narrative
that validates false beliefs. The tribes
redefine terms to make the opposing tribe guilty by definition.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Even if a political party changes its policy entirely, their
supporters consider it a move to their side whether left/right. Under the essentialist theory, no matter the
change in policy is a further move to in their direction. They define a move to a side based on what
their party does. A case of circular
reasoning, as they redefine the conclusion by the conclusion. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The political spectrum is useful for coalitions. To share values during a specific place and
time, but there is no underlying essence.
People have not changed their values, but the ideologies have. As the tribes have changed their values, the
people now stand on opposing tribes.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Reality is complex, with a search for an essence part of a
need for simplicity. The problem of the
search, is that the simplification loses content and harms dialogue rather than
aid in understanding. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>What Effect Does Essentialism Has?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ideological tribalism turned people away from respecting
other people’s rights, democratic values, accepting election outcomes, and
follow the rule of law. Essentialism
leads to conformism and hostility, which creates tribal stereotypes that become
self-fulfilling. Tribal identity leads
to hating the alternative. Disagreements
can be divisive, but the animosity is amplified by tribal identity. Discrimination has become acceptable when
using ideological labels.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Although people need to be part of a tribe, people deny
their tribalism. Essentialist theory
disguises tribalism. People earn
membership in their tribe by signaling their support for the tribe’s
claims. Extremist reaffirm tribal
commitment when signaling support for the tribe’s claims, it does not mean they
agree with the belief itself. Although
people will claim to follow the same principles. Left-right essentialism persists to hide
partisan values, to be tribal without feeling tribal. To conform to tribal values without admitting
the conformation.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Tribalism is not a problem, the problem is not acknowledging
tribalism. The problem is assuming that
the socialization process does not affect the individual, when it actually
does. The self-deception makes
ideological essentialism attractive.
They claim to be principled when actually they invent stories of their
ideological coherence. The essentialist
illusion enables the party to change principles without losing membership. Essentialism allows parties to change
policies without appearing to change anything.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Essentialism reduces cognitive ability. Ideological Essentialism leads to
confirmation bias, and a willingness to misinterpret information. To be self-righteous, and self-justify. Essentialism turns intelligence as a tool
against reality. The more educated are
able to defend their claims better than the uneducated. Intelligence enables the rationalization of
self-deception about the opposition, to justify tribal prejudices. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There have been many inappropriate studies done on tribal
fear sensitivity. The studies were
inappropriate because they checked for sensitivity using questions meant to
illicit a response from what an opposing tribe would fear. Individuals in a tribe have similar fears,
defined by the tribe. When the studies
asked neutral questions, the different tribes turn out to be equally
considerate on various aspects. Although
neither tribe is more intolerant in general, each tribe is intolerant to the
other tribe.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How Did The Political Spectrum Come To Be?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Before the 1920s, Americans might have had different
political parties, but there was no political spectrum. The parties stood for certain political
principles during the moment. Later
historians anachronistically imposed a political spectrum on those of the past,
even if they did not actually think in those categories. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What turned the American political system into a political
spectrum was reporting done on the Russian Revolution. As the Russians categorized between
left-right spectrum, the reporters used the terminology. But starting in 1919, journalists applied the
left-right to competing factions of American socialists. The terms were then domesticated to the main
parties. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As more political dimensions were added, Americans retained
a unidimensional model. Although the
unidimensional approach was obsolete due to the proliferation of political
issues, the ideologues would not change the way they approached the
issues. What ideologues wanted was for
them to be right about everything, and the opposition to be wrong about
everything. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How To Overcome Essentialism? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Recognizing susceptibility to the essentialist myth is a
step to overcome the problems that essentialism creates. Recognizing that the myth creates
distortions. As essentialism packages
ideas, the reverse is to use granularity by referencing the ideas
separately. This is part of a way to
change the way ideologies are discussed.
Use constructive political disagreement. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There are many tribes, which means that there are options to
choose from. As there are tribes that
hurt the person and society, people should find better tribes to belong
to. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Caveats?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The focus of this book is on the problems of the
essentialist political framework. There
are many examples given as evidence, they are diverse but short and can be
self-similar. The explanation of the
resolutions are more limited, and tend to have mixed qualities. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the myth of the political spectrum? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why do tribes exist?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the essentialist theory of ideology?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the social theory of ideology?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Is there an underlying theme to tribes?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What does support for a tribal claim signal? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Did the tribes change?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Did the tribes become more extreme? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How are the tribes defined? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did essentialism effect the U.S.?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Are people tribal? Why do people hide their tribalism?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does education effect tribal essentialism? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What do the tribes fear? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did the U.S. get a political spectrum? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How to overcome essentialism? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the private language fallacy?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Can there be more than two political categories? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Is there a true essence that defines ideologies? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Is change an underlying essential principle?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Is did Christianity change political ideology?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What size of government do the political parties want? </div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>Publisher: Oxford University Press</div><div>Edition ISBN: 9780197680636</div><div>Pages to read: 121</div><div>Publication: 2022</div><div>1st Edition: 2022</div><div>Format: eBook </div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 5</div><div>Content 5</div><div>Overall 5</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-83175849459820967082024-01-19T10:14:00.002-05:002024-01-19T11:07:13.544-05:00Review of Science Fictions: How Fraud, Bias, Negligence, and Hype Undermine the Search for Truth by Stuart Ritchie<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/epistemology.html">Philosophy, Epistemology</a></span></div><div>Book Club Event = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/book-club-book-list.html">Book List</a> (04/13/2024)</div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-makes-science-science.html">What Makes Science A Science?</a>, 2) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-does-data-get-use-and-misused.html">How Does Data Get Use, And Misused?</a>, 3) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/when-intelligence-goes-wrong.html">When Intelligence Goes Wrong</a>, 4) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/war-for-your-attention.html">War for Your Attention</a>, </div><div>5) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-information-and-books-survive-test.html">How Information and Books Survive the Test of Time, and How They Change</a>, </div><div>6) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/the-persecuted-and-persecutors.html">The Persecuted and The Persecutors</a>, 7) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/to-cooperate-or-to-defect.html">To Cooperate Or To Defect?</a>, 8) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-to-teach-how-to-learn.html">How to Teach? How to Learn?</a>, 9) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/why-do-people-think-differently.html">Why Do People Think Differently?</a>, 10) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-competitive-is-competition.html">How Competitive Is Competition?</a>, </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLkhL1AbXD9siPQl3v2MsZVwmcKMxAGcbRCZxk5zea7YwXo-3E5Qy9CIZoCHeNbF-pZ0_5p5SAmKjSWJDn677uZ5I4YbMP3jy4fP_hljxLhYbOQMGtXmK3sRnQpFtmOEzMNsVb4r5wh5vvz7eSLrkKof5FHITiQgzyApnb6F4ODbfusMjEBCpA5pGuR7I/s1056/Cover%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="690" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLkhL1AbXD9siPQl3v2MsZVwmcKMxAGcbRCZxk5zea7YwXo-3E5Qy9CIZoCHeNbF-pZ0_5p5SAmKjSWJDn677uZ5I4YbMP3jy4fP_hljxLhYbOQMGtXmK3sRnQpFtmOEzMNsVb4r5wh5vvz7eSLrkKof5FHITiQgzyApnb6F4ODbfusMjEBCpA5pGuR7I/s320/Cover%202.png" width="209" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FZF5Tu8G2GU" width="320" youtube-src-id="FZF5Tu8G2GU"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Excerpts</b></i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“Science’s social nature does come
with weaknesses, however. Because
scientists focus so much on trying to persuade their peers, which is the way
they get those studies through peer review and onward to publication, it’s all
too easy for them to disregard the real object of science: getting us close to
the truth. And because scientists are
human beings, the ways that they try to persuade each other aren’t always fully
rational or objective. If we don’t take
great care, our scientific process can become permeated by very human flaws.” –
Stuart Ritchie, Chapter 1: How Science Works, Page 20</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“The irony is palpable.
Science, as we’ve discussed, is considered the closest we can come to
objectivity: a process that can overcome individual biases by subjecting
everyone’s work to review and security.
But by focusing too much on this ideal of science as an infallible,
impartial method, we forget that in practice, biases appear at every stage of
the process: reading previous work, setting up a study, collecting the data,
analyzing the results and choosing whether or not to publish. Our tendency to overlook these biases turns
the scientific literature, which should be an accurate summary of all the
knowledge we’ve gained, into a very human amalgam of truth and wishful
thinking.” – Stuart Ritchie, Chapter 4: Bias, Page 84</p><p style="text-align: right;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“The system of science is now set up to reward those who
engage in underhand methods. If the more
trustworthy researchers – those who are in it for the science, rather than
status, money, or other non-scientific goals – can’t compete in this system,
they’ll be more likely to drop out of the world of academia and get another job
elsewhere. At the very least, they’ll be
less competitive for the top jobs.
Meaning that as well as pushing everyone towards unreliable research
practices, the system selects against researchers who have strong convictions
about getting it right, filling their places instead with those who are happier
to bend the rules.” – Stuart Ritchie, Chapter 7: Perverse Incentives, Page 188<o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Science is a collaborative effort in error correcting
information and improving on the knowledge that is available. As a collaborative effort, as a social field,
the research needs to be shared and people convinced. Scientists are humans themselves, who have
human biases. Scientists choose how to
approach their research, they choose how to interpret their research and
competing research, choose whether to publish or not, and choose how to
persuade others. Each choice contains
biases that can and has led to the spread of misinformation. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Scientists have been trusted, and are trusting themselves,
but the system has enabled those who can exploit the system of science to wield
power. The scientific community has
perverse incentives as those who are untrustworthy are more likely to be
promoted for they are willing to compromise the research process, than the
trustworthy who seek to improve the knowledge base. Incentives that reduce the reliability of
research. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Research is shared through a publication, but what is wanted
for publishing is not necessarily what is needed to be published. What often gets published are the exciting
results, exaggerated, misleading, and often wrong. The research that challenges or replicates
other research are not welcome in publishing, even though they are needed to
provide the limitations and legitimacy for the claims. Not publishing seemingly unimportant
research, distorts the scientific record and enables harmful outcomes. There are costs to time, effort, and money
when using and providing research that is uninformative.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The practice of science has been corrupted. Rather than error correcting, science enables
misinformation to spread. Science needs
to change how it is practiced to enable trust in the community. This book provides guidance on how science
has been exploited, and methods to improve the practice of science.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is Science An Ideal Field? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Science depends on a communal process to find errors and
faults to determine whether claims are reliable and important. Being a communal process, requires persuading
peers. But by focusing too much on
persuading peers, scientists lose track of the purpose of science which is to
get closer to truth. Persuading peers
can take on various human biases that reduce the validity of the scientific
process. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Skepticism is supposed to be the basic norm of science, but
has enabled incompetence, delusion, lies, and self-deception. The very ideal that scientists hold about
science, that of an error correcting system, has given space to research done
with human biases while claiming to be objective and unbiased. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Which Research Is Published? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Scientific studies need to be replicated to prove that the
results did not come by chance, fraud, or equipment error. Replication is meant to prevent false
findings, bad experiments, and inappropriate data. But replication is not taken seriously, and
studies are not often replicated. Claims
are accepted without checking for replication.
There are barely any attempts to replicate prior results. Creating a replication crisis, in various
fields. When replication is attempted,
many results fail to replicate. Various
research results are used to make policy and health choices that have immediate
negative consequences when the results have not been replicated.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">News and journals focus on the new and exciting research,
which tend to be primarily positive results with a few null results. Positive results are those in which discoveries
are made, while null results are those in which no discovery is made. Repeat studies are usually rejected from
publications, even if they show a different or contradictory result than the
original. Scientist choose to publish
results when they have positive research while not publishing null
results. As positive, flashy, novel, newsworthy
results are rewarded much more, scientist are incentivized to produce those
results, and convince others that the research has the wanted attributes. Creating a publication bias. By failing to publish null results, there is
an exaggerated importance of effects that create misleading beliefs. Publication bias distorts the information
that is used to make decisions, leading to making decisions based on partial
information. Decisions that are liable
to create problems. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To get hired and promoted, scientists need published papers
with appropriate journals. Universities
are ranked by the papers they produce, which results in a publish or perish
mentality. As scientists have limited
time to publish papers along with the rest of their responsibilities, the
scientific standards become bypassed.
Quantity matters more than quality.
Scientists can split their research into many papers, providing an
artificially better CV. Without knowing
the content of the papers, readers of one or few can think there is more
evidence for results than there actually is.
Low citation count can be an underappreciated work, but scientists are
willing to publish useless works to secure jobs and grants rather than advance
science. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hype can be very harmful in science. Many press releases give recommendations to
change behavior based on results that the research could not support. Press releases are important because
journalists are time-pressed and therefore closely copy the language of the
press release. This is known as
churnalism. The problem with hyped
science is that while the hyped research gets a lot of attention, the
refutations are barely able to catch up.
The scientific system incentivizes the lack of caution, restraint, and
skepticism.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Peer review is enough to prevent flawed ideas from being
published. Peer-review researchers can
prevent alternative conclusions from being published. The h-index ranks citations based on number
of studies, but this measure can be corrupted.
Reviewers created conditions to make sure that papers they published
listed the reviewer’s papers.
Researchers have even created a citation cartel with editors
collaborating with others for citations. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There are even problems with reproducibility. Results do not reproduce using the same
data. Often because the method of
reporting was not clear enough, or steps were left out of the report. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Papers that have been proved to be wrong are retracted. They remain in the literature with a
retracted mark indicating that the paper is no longer considered
legitimate. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How Can Science Go Wrong? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Not even highly respected scientific institutions are exempt
from protecting their reputation by protecting the activities of fraudsters. Fraud comes about by exploiting trust. There will always be those who want fame and
success above other concerns. Fraud does
disproportionate damage to science because it takes time to investigate the
findings, which takes researchers away from their own research. Fraud also wastes money through theft, people
spending money trying to obtain results that were never real, and researches
waste their funds trying to replicate fraudulent research. Fraud damages the reputation of
scientists. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Although relatively few papers are retracted, for various
reasons that include fraud. Anonymous
surveys asking scientists if they committed fraud results in a relatively large
portion of scientists admitting to fraud.
Worse, as the portion of fraud increased when asked about known other
researchers committing fraud. The actual
numbers are higher, because not everyone would be willing to admit to fraud
even anonymously. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Researchers can put in fake numbers into their papers to
make their paper appear more attractive than it actually is. But that means that everyone who is looking
at the paper and making use of the paper, are using wrong information. There are instances when measurements are
accidentally incorrectly recorded, known as measurement error. There is an expectation that numbers are
noisy. But, made up numbers do not have
the properties of genuinely collected data. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There is sampling error which means generating wrong
interpretations about the population from the sample. The different samples can have different
averages, along with chance providing very different averages. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">P-value indicates the potential randomness of getting a
result if the hypothesis was not true.
It does not indicate if the result is true or important. Statistical significance is given a p-value
of 0.05, which is an arbitrary number.
Significance does not indicate a worthy result. Scientists can also p-hack. They can run a plethora of tests until they
find a test that is statistically significant.
Alternatively retroactively come up with a hypothesis after they find a
result they approve of. Both versions
of p-hacking invalidates the p-value as they create methods of getting results
through random chance. Running many
tests increases the likelihood of getting a significant result by random
chance. Without sharing the results that
were not significant, leads to people being convinced of fake results. More opportunities means more chances for
false-positive results. P-hacking is a
way to make noise appear valuable. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How To Improve Science?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What is measured gets focused on. Creating conditions that make the metric
meaningless, which overrides genuine scientific progress. Removing arbitrary measures is not
necessarily going to resolve bad research practices, for that might introduce
other sources of subjectivity. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pre-registration enables researchers to be accountable to
what they are planning to do. If a paper
has the condition of being published no matter the results, as long as they
maintain the pre-registration plan, then that eliminates many incentives for
bias and fraud. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Caveats?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The listed problems of science are
common in life. What the author does is
reference the problems with scientists as their source. This book is critical of how science
operates, for by knowing where science can go wrong, can science be corrected.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The author
references the lack of publications on replication and null results from which
no discoveries are made. Both types are
needed in science, but they can also be corrupted.</p></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How has science been corrupted? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How to improve science? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are the sources of bias in science?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are the consequences of inappropriate science?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Is science a collaborative effort?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Should scientists be trusted? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What perverse incentives effect scientists?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are the consequences of perverse incentives?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the effect of replication on science?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the replication crisis? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the publication bias?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What research is favored and unfavored to be published?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What does the ideal of science effect the practice of science?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the purpose of science?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do scientists get hired and promoted? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What effect does hype have on science?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How can citation count be exploited?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is peer review and how can peer review be exploited? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is reproducibility and are papers reproducible? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does a paper become retracted? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How can wrong results be found without fraud?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are the ways in which scientists commit research fraud?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the sampling error?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the p-value and what is p-hacking?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is pre-registration? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the pace of scientific progress? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the Standford Prison Experiment?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What was the outcome of the Reinhart and Rogoff paper which was about GDP and debt? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How much of an effect can a single gene on human traits? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Is there a difference between conclusions presented in a research paper or in a book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers incentivize contractors after the California wildfires on 2017? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the cross-species leap type of hype? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does science get funded and how does that effect publication? </div><div><br /></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>Publisher: Metropolitan Books [Henry Holt and Company]</div><div>Edition ISBN: 9781250222688</div><div>Pages to read: 236</div><div>Publication: 2020</div><div>1st Edition: 2020</div><div>Format: eBook </div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 5</div><div>Content 5</div><div>Overall 5</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-37586316070494468582024-01-11T13:26:00.009-05:002024-01-31T22:12:02.770-05:00Review of Hybrid Warfare: The Russian Approach to Strategic Competition & Conventional Military Conflict by Curtis L. Fox<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/history-war.html">History, War</a></span></div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://inquiryformanantilibrary.blogspot.com/p/get-to-know-this-worlds-people-regions.html" target="">Get To Know The Peoples Of The World</a> (<a href="https://inquiryformanantilibrary.blogspot.com/p/russia.html">Russia</a>), </div><div>2) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/the-persecuted-and-persecutors.html">The Persecuted and The Persecutors</a>, 3) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/war.html">War</a>, 4) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/capitalism-socialism-their-alternatives.html">Capitalism, Socialism, their Alternatives and Critiques</a>, 5) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/to-cooperate-or-to-defect.html">To Cooperate Or To Defect?</a>, 6) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/when-intelligence-goes-wrong.html">When Intelligence Goes Wrong</a>, </div><div>7) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/why-conflict-occurs-and-how-to-resolve.html">Why Conflict Occurs And How To Resolve Them?</a>, </div><div>8) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/why-is-behavior-of-individuals.html">Why Is Behavior of Individuals Different When They Are in A Group?</a>, </div><div>9) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/why-do-people-think-differently.html">Why Do People Think Differently?</a>, 10) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-is-sovereignty-is-gained-and-lost.html">How Is Sovereignty Is Gained And Lost?</a>, </div><div>11) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-does-data-get-use-and-misused.html">How Does Data Get Use, And Misused?</a>, </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJF38AP5UM5hQkudADfZIpmS08RJBEmEdndAuETvBMPxxSglXsknhzoMhr1dK3MN6UEtp9bgpaY9LFoXlorJnxBD-7MirUgHI54LqHGyZjN7uU2Zrq8H9Dmku68THrdWACezsXQ_WIRnx21oS7kCKR654foyE6lvIYOPblmWFBvWsJ1tFrJRESElYH-70/s834/Cover%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="834" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJF38AP5UM5hQkudADfZIpmS08RJBEmEdndAuETvBMPxxSglXsknhzoMhr1dK3MN6UEtp9bgpaY9LFoXlorJnxBD-7MirUgHI54LqHGyZjN7uU2Zrq8H9Dmku68THrdWACezsXQ_WIRnx21oS7kCKR654foyE6lvIYOPblmWFBvWsJ1tFrJRESElYH-70/s320/Cover%201.png" width="207" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Excerpts</b></i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p style="text-align: left;">“<span style="font-family: inherit;">At the operational level, Hybrid
Warfare holistically uses all levers of national influence (political,
cultural, economic, military, or informational) to create asymmetric advantages
in support of discrete objectives. At
the tactical level, hybrid warfare deploys non-military influence to sow chaos
ahead of elite troops who are tasked with swiftly seizing objectives and
terrain to pave the way for conventional forces. These tactics leverage deception and
ambiguity, allowing Russia to straddle the watershed between interstate
political competition and overt warfare.” – Curtis L. Fox, Chapter One,
Page 30</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Russia maintained its strategic position by prying social
cracks open, supporting dissident groups, employing propaganda, and avoiding
direct and unwinnable engagements. In
between the luminary leaders who fostered cultural revivals and economic
improvement in Russia (Catherine the Great, Peter the Great), this approach to
foreign policy preserved Russia during times of famine and economic catastrophe
and in the face of technologically superior competitors. Hybrid warfare was and is the modern
manifestation of this foreign policy tradition.” – Curtis L. Fox, Chapter Two,
Page 46</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Many Soviet “illegals” stole identities from
dead children in the West. Soviet
operatives would steal or forge a birth certificate and then fabricate a
history for the child as though it had grown up, creating a paper trail for a
false identity that one of their operatives could assume. “Illegals” even trained as couples, getting
married in Russia and then moving to the West where thy could “meet for the
first time” and fall in love in the presence of Western friends.” – Curtis L.
Fox, Chapter Five, Page 131</span></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span>Excerpts with permission from the publisher</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hybrid warfare is a mixture of covert and conventional overt
actions. Covert actions enable a more
effective use of conventional efforts.
Sovereign states use hidden methods to interfere with other states which
prepare advantageous conditions for conventional efforts. Covert actions increase the chances for
successful conventional forces operations.
Hybrid warfare is a method of managing political competition and overt
warfare through deception and ambiguity.
Meant to reduce costs to international politics and reduce the loss of
troops in overt military conflict. Hybrid
warfare enables the projection of power with plausible deniability. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Russia has historically needed to use hybrid warfare to
defend their sovereignty and intervene in other states. Before an intervention, Russian operatives
gain access to a target government using diplomatic ties. The operatives then generate civil unrest
through propaganda, politics, and economics.
While seeking and gathering individuals who are sympathetic to Russian
causes and ideology. These actions
reduce political and military resistance to Russian narrative and demands. Chaos from civil unrest changes the
operational environment to favor Russia, and justifies Russian intervention as
a way to resolve the crisis. In this way
Russia has opportunities to influence the policies of the target government. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How Does Russia Protect Its Sovereignty?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Russia is using the same type of warfare strategy for
centuries, as there are similar geopolitical constants. The Russian winter was used to deter invaders
as invaders could not concentrate their forces nor could they protect long
supply lines. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Russia uses buffer states to protect its sovereignty rather
than military might across its vast border.
During the USSR phase, there were neighboring states that had socialism
imposed on them. The states had their
cultures, economies, and identities suppressed.
The states became known as the Eastern Bloc, and were meant to prevent
Western influence. When the USSR regime
collapsed, many buffer states gained independence. Russia has been trying to rebuild the buffer
states network since the fall of the USSR.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">During the 1990s, democracies have proven a more effective
governance method than centrally-planned governance. Russia was destitute and feared invasion from
the West. Many sought U.S. allegiance to
defend against USSR influence, but Russia was not longer seen as a threat after
the fall of the USSR, which led to many U.S. allies to question their reliance
on the U.S. As U.S. foreign policy had
become to be seen as a distraction, Russia gained foreign influence.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After WW2, growth was not dependent on new territories and
colonial possessions. Growth was
obtained through economic expansion that was facilitated by U.S. efforts to
protect the global commons, the sea borne routes. Rather than colonize, Russia creates
permanent client-states that support Russian choices.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>What Are Some Details On Russia’s Military Use?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">While Boris Yeltsin decentralized military authority to
prevent any from having a monopoly of information and provide a system of
checks and balances on power. Vladimir
Putin centralized military authority into the FSB. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Russia has long term information gathering operations, but
their effectiveness has been negligible.
They are not trusted in Russia after being undercover for a long time.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Russia uses paramilitary groups for overt political
subversion, and prevents rival states from building coalitions. Russia also uses a mercenary organization to
take actions. These are considered
military advisors, but are mercenaries.
They enable actions that appear to be voluntary on their own behave, but
they obtain a salary from a Russian proxy.
They are considered volunteers and tend to be disavowed and disbanded
after the conflict is over. When caught,
Russia claims they are volunteers or soldiers on extended leave. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Russian soldiers have psychological problems from how they
are treated. Russian soldiers deal with
various abuses from their colleagues, and hierarchy. Conditions of military barracks are a factor
of low retention rates of soldiers. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Caveats?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a name="_Hlk155618987">This book focuses on </a>Russia,
while the ideas of hybrid warfare are applicable to all groups of power. The book was dedicated to those with military
experience, with many parts of the book focusing on the miliary aspects. A diverse set of factors that influence
political decisions are acknowledged and provided, but they tend to be
limited. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hybrid warfare increases the chance of successful outcomes,
but does not determine them. The author
describes the successes and failures of hybrid warfare from which Russia
learned how to change operating procedures.
Hybrid warfare is referenced as something comparatively new, while the
methods described have been used throughout history. The appearance of novelty may come from a
survivorship bias that favors the overt actions, more than the covert
actions. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The caveat of hybrid warfare not being something new can be
described in more detail. The covert
actions are meant to be hidden which makes them more difficult to recognize and
acknowledge. Alternatively, the overt
actions are salient and are given the credit for their efforts. Creating a survivorship bias in favor of
overt action while minimizing the information on covert actions. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hybrid warfare is meant to influence other states to favor
Russia decisions, prevent political counter criticism, and reduce resistance to
Russia. But, the author references that
various states became resistant to Russia due to Russian efforts, gained
independence from Russia, and sought out Russia’s political opposition to
defend against Russia. What are missing
are the methods Russia uses or can use to influence other states to be willing
to want to join Russia rather than oppose Russia.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is hybrid warfare?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are the tools of hybrid warfare?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why did Russia need to rely on hybrid warfare?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do states interfere with other states?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does Russia justify interventions in other states?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are buffer states and why does Russia rely on them?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does Russia’s geography influence which territories Russia seizes?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What happened to Russia under Bolsheviks governance? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What happened to Russia after the USSR collapsed? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What was Russia’s role during WW2?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did WW2 change economic power projection? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does the energy sector effect Russia? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Russian military change?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who are the “illegals”?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How are military personal promoted? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How are military personnel treated? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the Wagner Group? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the Night Wolf biker gang? How does Russia use the gang? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Russia handle Napoleon? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Stalin try to break the Ukraine’s resistance to Communist collectivization?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Russia use Sub-Saharan African conflicts? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Russia handle the Chechnya conflict? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Russia handle the Georgia conflict?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Russia annex Crimea? How dose Crimea effect Russia? </div><div><br /></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>This book was provided by the publisher</div><div>Foreword Author: Ashley Franz Holzmann</div><div>Edition: First Edition</div><div>Publisher: Four Minute Men Books [-30- Press Publishing]</div><div>Edition ISBN: B0CPHPLR9N</div><div>Pages to read: 270</div><div>Publication: 2023</div><div>1st Edition: 2023</div><div>Format: eBook </div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 4</div><div>Content 4</div><div>Overall 4</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-28202625129703236472024-01-03T08:43:00.002-05:002024-01-03T11:05:49.516-05:00Review of The New Chinese Empire: And What It Means For The United States by Ross Terrill<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/history-empires.html">History, Empires</a></span></div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://inquiryformanantilibrary.blogspot.com/p/get-to-know-this-worlds-people-regions.html" target="">Get To Know The Peoples Of The World</a> (<a href="https://inquiryformanantilibrary.blogspot.com/p/china.html">China</a>), 2) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/to-cooperate-or-to-defect.html">To Cooperate Or To Defect?</a>, 3) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-is-power-of-belief-systems.html">What Is The Power Of Belief Systems?</a>, 4) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/capitalism-socialism-their-alternatives.html">Capitalism, Socialism, their Alternatives and Critiques</a>, <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/the-persecuted-and-persecutors.html">The Persecuted and The Persecutors</a>, 5) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/why-conflict-occurs-and-how-to-resolve.html">Why Conflict Occurs And How To Resolve Them?</a>, </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDlZufKaZ2IwOUJYRNsiA3XNZlkIyrcI3jzTS_UYo5cFuf00wmtRhpwjw2p30f5w4TrVP6oIpw4m_MiRv-mkMI3m-g9bJIoi7DFkzR_m76Fyv7uyQNBasimithfmAsNiG7prQTkFdfcqubucvxqk_BYn0y_XHv8sIgz5snIcyEhS9rjgUtgs3_W5YiTV0/s1489/Cover%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1489" data-original-width="997" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDlZufKaZ2IwOUJYRNsiA3XNZlkIyrcI3jzTS_UYo5cFuf00wmtRhpwjw2p30f5w4TrVP6oIpw4m_MiRv-mkMI3m-g9bJIoi7DFkzR_m76Fyv7uyQNBasimithfmAsNiG7prQTkFdfcqubucvxqk_BYn0y_XHv8sIgz5snIcyEhS9rjgUtgs3_W5YiTV0/s320/Cover%202.jpg" width="214" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/53F7slMnoHA" width="320" youtube-src-id="53F7slMnoHA"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Excerpts</b></i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“When China attacked a neighbor, it
was considered almost a favor to that lesser people. Heaven, through the instrumentality of the
Chinese emperor, was reestablishing a proper order of things. | At
times, non-Chinese regimes profited from fitting into this Chinese worldview.” –
Ross Terrill, Chapter 3: We Are The World, Page 57</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“The stones of Paris offer the visitor an actual presence of
the medieval era. But the contemporary
French polity reflects little or nothing of the political system of Philip
Augustus (ruled 1180-1223) or Louis IX (ruled 1226-1270). With China the converse is true. The edifices of the past are little to be found. But the Way – of ruling, thinking, behaving –
still lives. It has endured in part
because it was implicit, flexible, and honored as much in the breach as in the
letter. Also, because the Chinese
Communist Party appropriated the more autocratic elements of the Way for its
own social engineering purposes.” – Ross Terrill, Chapter 3: We Are The World,
Page 76</p><p style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Yet central planning in a Communist system is <i>a
political policy</i>. Mao chose to hear
only what he wanted to hear about the results of the Great Leap, and to blame
“class enemies” for such of the disasters as could not be denied. In turn, this hunt for class enemies reduced
the chances of truths being uttered and tightened the screws of political
repression. Mao never renounced the
centrally planned economy; he simply sought scapegoats for its failure.” – Ross
Terrill, Chapter 5: Red Emperor, Page 127</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ancient Chinese architecture might not have survived the
ravages of time, but the way of ruling, thinking and behaving has endured. Chinese traditions did not end with a fall of
a government. The traditions were
rebuilt by forthcoming governments. The
methods were flexible, and could be adapted to by supporting or opposing
them. The autocratic elements of the
traditions were used by the Chinese Communist Party for social engineering
purposes. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Rather than a religion, Chinese ethics philosophy of
Confucianism was used to coordinate people’s behavior. A malleable system that enabled its various
interpretations throughout Chinese history, that provided an understanding on
how to treat others. Deference was
needed for superiors. Chinese sense of
superiority was evident by foreign governments throughout history, which
created a variety of misinterpretations from each perspective. China was portrayed as virtuous, no matter
their actions. That China’s
interventions in other regions were for the benefit of the others, to civilize
the barbarians. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">China uses history as a weapon by disregarding unfavorable
events, and changing events to favor Chinese views. During the 20th century, China turned away
from Dynasty and monarchy, but the methods were similar. The government only accepted as true what
they wanted to, and blamed others for that which could not be denied. Using philosophy that enabled people’s
deference to society over their own interests.
Inventing new methods to deal with problem, using prior methods
differently, and applying foreign ideas in their own way. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How Does China’s Philosophy Effect Behavior? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Confucianism is an ethic, rather than a religion. Confucianism had mixed qualities, but what
Confucianism did was provide an ethics that brought government and people
together. The ethics coordinated
behavior. Confucianism was malleable and
could represent different ideas to different people and contexts. Confucian
claims of virtue could be misused and favor the individual who does the action. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Heaven was favorable to people, but had imperatives. To have virtue, humans need to be filial,
respectful, and obedient. Confucius and
Mencius logical systems overlapped with religious views and law-and-order
Legalism. Ordinary Chinese carefully
paid deference to the Gods, emperor, and their immediate superiors.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Confucianism was made possible by government enforcement,
through Legalism and institutions of governance. A legal framework that could use physical
force. Emperor had a practical interest
in statecraft, rather than the supernatural.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How Does China Think About Others?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">China has an enduring us-and-them system, a distinction
between Chinese and Barbarian. That
China is the civilizing force and natural rulers of barbarians who are a lesser
breed. That the barbarians should be
grateful to be influenced by China.
These views create a tendency to overlook what China learned from other
people. Foreign agents that interacted
with the Chinese court, commented on Chinese sense of superiority.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The emperor was the representative of Heaven and Earth. Giving justifications and virtue to any
decisions made by the emperor. When
China attacked neighboring states, or governments who sought independence,
China maintained a claim of virtue for their actions. That their actions were justified and meant
for the betterment of the people they were intervening in, to rid them of an
oppressive regime. Attacking a neighbor
was a favor to lesser people, as that enabled Heaven to reestablished a proper
order. Chinese like to pretend that barbarians
have accepted China’s reign of virtue rather than admit how regularly China had
to use force against barbarians. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Given their superiority attitude, China has a history of
making political gifts given to them, be seen as tribute. In this way, the supposed gifting party
appears to have submitted to China, and China accepted them as a vassal. These views caused conflict. What is rarely referenced are the times that
China had given gifts and tribute to others. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">China has a large Han majority who do not have much
territory. With minority nationalities
who have the vast territory and resources.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How Is History Turned Into Politics? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For China, history is a political tool. Changing and interpreting what happened to
fit political goals. Even archaeology is
a political project. Myths about history
are used as political weapons.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Chinese history does reference events in which China was not
the superior force. Does not reference
when China could not get its way. Does
not reference when others did not accept Chinese ways with China not being able
to do anything about the situation. This
occurred when negotiating with semi-equal forces. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One China has become the ideology,
but Mao thought that China was to be divided into 27 countries. China believes that any territory that has
come into contact with China, has become part of China and is part of China’s
history. While other states that lost
territory do not dispute the loss of the territory, China does dispute their
prior losses. Even the territories that
were part of the conquerors of China are considered to be Chinese history and
territory.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>What Was The Succession Plan?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Emperors had a succession problem as they needed to
designate a child, but they had many children.
Conflict and power struggles threatened the stability of the
polity. Gaining power through murder was
common in ancient China and in the Communist Party. Legitimacy and succession are perpetual
problems. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>What Was China’s 20<sup>th</sup> Century Experience? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After the collapse of the monarchy, China has been trying to
reconcile the methods of monarchy and fitting into the different political
understandings. They have kept much the
same, while the changes have not made them into an effective state that manages
the different social expectations of the era.
Unlike a democratic state whose political system is shaped and reshaped
continuously by the citizens decisions.
China’s imperial components remain even if the imperial structure was
removed. China still relies on imperial
repression and myths to hold together the diverse cultures. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">During the early 20<sup>th</sup> century, when the Qing
Dynasty was failing, many provinces declared independence. Their reasons for independence were diverse,
but they could not apply different political systems than those already used. The revolutionaries had immediate success,
but could not provide a constructive agenda afterwards.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mao wanted China to be neutral to foreign governments. But the Chinese Communist Party saw central
power as a tool for China’s advancement.
Provincial autonomy and federalism were dismissed. The feudalism that emerged after Qing
Dynasty, was party new and partly a continuation. New western tools such as the railroad, were
used as methods of power to control the kingdom. Bolshevism offered China a way to be
progressive and anti-Western, while also provide quick solutions to Western
influence on China. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One party state meant that no alternative political parties
were allowed, no elections, or free press.
A system akin to an emperor, authoritarian, political tutor. CCP’s reach was greater than prior governance
structures. CCP branches existed in
every county. A surveillance network
meant to foster benevolent paternalism and work. The party controlled communication and what
everyone was able to do. Socialism was
omnipresent, with class categories separating various peoples, and how the
individual was meant to subordinate to the collective purpose. Truth was what the CCP wanted truth to
be. There needed to be unfailing loyalty
in the leader, who was infallible and needed to be constantly studied. Death was an accepted means of punishment to
maintain the collective morality.<br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mao recognized that very little information came to
Mao. Mao chose what to hear which were
only favorable information about the Great Leap. Information that could not be denied, Mao
blamed the problems on scapegoats which were class enemies. Mao could not accept socialism as a flawed
political system, therefore did not accept outcomes that indicated the flaws.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ideology began to be reduced during Deng’s changes, but that
did not allow for plurality of ideologies.
There was no individual independence, nor was criticizing China an
option. People were trusted with their
money, but not their minds. What was
allowed was what the Communist Party found acceptable. Publishers were shut down for politically incorrect
viewpoints. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">China is oppressive and afraid of its own people. Freedoms have been experimented with, giving
some freedoms to people, but the government has generally opted for repression
when disorder was a perceived threat.
The legal system remained harsh and was attached to the wants of the
political party rather than justice and proportioned appropriate
punishment. The state depends on
confessions, false confessions, to justify the system.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Marketization under Deng enabled private firms, and joint
ventures between the foreign and local capital.
The private business and joint ventures crowded out state
factories. State factories began to
produce less share of the market, and they were mainly losing money. Banks were closely attached to the government
that lead to the subsidization of state factories, which made profit and loss
meaningless. China’s socialism is
enduring, transforming into market socialism rather than becoming capitalistic.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Caveats?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a name="_Hlk154788205">The focus of the book is on China
during the 20<sup>th</sup> century. </a>There
is a lot of information on China’s history before that era, but that
information is sporadic and is used to provide evidence for a claim. The reader would need to research more
Chinese history for a better understanding of the events. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The struggle between a changing and changeless China is part
of the myth structure that the author describes, disagreeing with, but applies
as a theme in the book. The problem is
that appearances of similarity, does not represent similarity in anything but
appearance. There were ideas and methods
that appear to be a theme, but what makes them similar is their association
with China rather than the core claims being consistent. The ideas and methods were influential, but
as the author recognizes, they have been misused and reinterpreted. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The author expresses Chinas flexibility and creativity, and
criticism when considering China as perpetually stagnant, changeless, and
isolated, as those views were formed by the end of the Qing Dynasty which had
become rigid. But throughout the book
the author considers various themes in China to have been reused, used
differently, but still considered consistent even if much has changed. Alternatively, the author provides the
impression that other states have more completely changed their political systems. Other states also have used their historic
methods to legitimize their own political structures through support or
disagreement with the prior methods.
Just as Chinese governments had chosen how to use their historic methods
to legitimize their rule. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How has China changed and stayed the same?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the life cycle of Chinese traditions compared to other traditions?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What traditions did the Chinese Communist Party utilize?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did China change after removing the monarchy?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is Confucianism?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are the concepts of Heaven and Earth? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why does China have a sense of superiority? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How to treat others?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is China’s us-and-them system? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Did China learn from other peoples? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did China view gifts from other peoples? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why did China intervene in other regions? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How are Chinese actions morally defined?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does China use history?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Which regions belong to China? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is allowed to be accepted? What is rejected? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the Nationalist regime that came after the Qing Dynasty? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Mao use Hong Kong? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What did Mao want for China? How did Mao’s views about China change? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did China use Bolshevism? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What does a one party state imply? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did China change and stay the same under Deng’s governance? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Which foreign power tried to change China? What effect did they have on China? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did USSR effect China?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why did China defect from USSR influence? </div><div><br /></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>Publisher: Basic Books [Perseus Books Group]</div><div>Edition ISBN: 0465084125</div><div>Pages to read: 342</div><div>Publication: 2003</div><div>1st Edition: 2003</div><div>Format: Hardcover </div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 5</div><div>Content 5</div><div>Overall 4</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-45563803571459089282023-12-27T10:31:00.007-05:002023-12-27T12:23:11.850-05:00Review of Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology by Chris Miller<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/economics-business.html">Economics, Business</a></span></div><div>Book Club Event = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/book-club-book-list.html">Book List</a> (11/09/2024)</div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-does-technology-modify-society.html">How Does Digital Technology Modify Society?</a>, </div><div>2) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/globalization-and-international-trade.html">Globalization and International Trade: A Known Problem?</a>, 3) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-competitive-is-competition.html">How Competitive Is Competition?</a>, </div><div>4) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/the-entrepreneurial-spirit.html">The Entrepreneurial Spirit</a>, 5) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-to-allocate-resources.html">How To Allocate Resources?</a>, </div><div>6) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/capitalism-socialism-their-alternatives.html">Capitalism, Socialism, their Alternatives and Critiques</a>, 7) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-to-and-not-to-run-business.html">How To and Not To Run a Business</a>, </div><div>8) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/the-motive-method-ideology-and.html">The Motive, Method, Ideology, and Consequences of Intervention</a>, 9) <a href="https://inquiryformanantilibrary.blogspot.com/p/get-to-know-this-worlds-people-regions.html" target="">Get To Know The Peoples Of The World</a> (<a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/world-history.html">World History</a>, <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/china.html">China</a>, <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/japan.html">Japan</a>, <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/russia.html">Russia</a>, <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/south-korea.html">South Korea</a>, <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/united-states-of-america.html">United States of America</a>), </div><div>10) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/war.html">War</a>, 11) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/to-cooperate-or-to-defect.html">To Cooperate Or To Defect?</a>, 12) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/why-conflict-occurs-and-how-to-resolve.html">Why Conflict Occurs And How To Resolve Them?</a>, </div><div>13) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-is-sovereignty-is-gained-and-lost.html">How Is Sovereignty Is Gained And Lost?</a>, 14) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/intelligence-of-artificial-kind.html">Intelligence, Of The Artificial Kind?</a>, </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkahD5ItsowLlYIIpFFxt2QqlfkEDqAM3LPyh0QuIZ1GrjiLctJFLsADAM3-WhS-als-_TnwM3q9rcmZ1bF7eFFJkutCw_KXVADkVHygiPVNx3RJNsfa7_ty8ZJny02gBFHkxAdUPlN-fwvE9PPUvjV1DkD96m09kCp2lA_tuoKIjsRWiSDquet04Wa-c/s1044/Cover%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="687" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkahD5ItsowLlYIIpFFxt2QqlfkEDqAM3LPyh0QuIZ1GrjiLctJFLsADAM3-WhS-als-_TnwM3q9rcmZ1bF7eFFJkutCw_KXVADkVHygiPVNx3RJNsfa7_ty8ZJny02gBFHkxAdUPlN-fwvE9PPUvjV1DkD96m09kCp2lA_tuoKIjsRWiSDquet04Wa-c/s320/Cover%202.png" width="211" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DzzqL0f9oNk" width="320" youtube-src-id="DzzqL0f9oNk"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Excerpts</b></i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“Unlike oil, which can be bought from
many countries, our production of computing power depends fundamentally on a
series of choke points: tools, chemicals, and software that often are produced
by a handful of companies – and sometimes only by one. No other facet of the economy is so dependent
on so few firms.” – Chris Miller, Introduction, Page 19</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“Compared to almost any other type of technology,
semiconductor technology was racing forward.
The size of transistors and their energy consumption was shrinking,
while the computing power that could be packed on a square inch of silicon
roughly double every two years. No other
technology moves so quickly – so there was no other sector in which stealing
last year’s design was such a hopeless strategy.” – Chris Miller, Chapter 8:
“Copy It”, Page 63</p><p style="text-align: left;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“Unlike when integrated circuits were first invented, the
chip industry had become less focused on military production. Firms like Intel targeted corporate computers
and consumer goods, not missiles. Only
consumer markets had the volume to fund the vast R&D programs that Moore’s
Law required.” – Chris Miller, Chapter 14: Pentagon’s Offset Strategy, Page 98<o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Electronics have become ubiquitous and they run on
integrated circuits, referred to as chips.
Chips have become a strategic product for consumer markets and military
power. Access to chips and control of
chip production gives states the ability to defend their interests. Chip development was accelerated due to a
need for miliary applications, but then the military became dependent on consumer
markets to fund R&D that would enable military applications. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Chip manufacturing is complex and requires a global supply
chain network to obtain the components, tools, and resources needed for
production. Few firms are capable of
providing something needed within the production chain. A global division of labor that spread the
costs of production. The complex and
concentrated network was the result of a series of private and public
decisions. To obtain favorable political
influence, and to enable profits. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>What Is The Division Of Labor In Chip Production?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There are many different types of firms that enable the
production of chips. From the resources,
tools, software, design, manufacturing, the final assembly with product that
needed the chip. No matter where on the
supply chain a firm is, they have contacts in Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley created a supply chain network
that made it practically impossible to produce chips with input from Silicon
Valley. Other states have to rely on Silicon
Valley for tools, software, and customers.
R&D efforts in Silicon Valley are paid by the large consumer market
of America. Other states have entered
chip production industry through subsidizing firms, but they still have Silicon
Valley connections.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The science behind transistors has been clearer than how to
manufacture them reliably. A division of
labor that was given prominence in this book was between firms that design the
chips and firms that manufacture the chips.
Firms used to design and manufacture chips, but that has become too
expensive which led to a division of labor between designing the chips and
manufacturing them. The <a name="_Hlk154485636">Mead-Conway Revolution</a> enabled students to design
chips that were then quickly fabricated without the students actually going to
fabrication facilities. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mass production works with standardized parts. For chip manufacturing, standardization was
impossible. There are too many sensitive
variables in various aspects of production.
Chips also advance every few years, which required changing the tools
that make them. Chips had gotten
extremely small by the 1990s, but possible to be smaller. The problem was that it required more precise
lithography tools which were difficult to mass produce. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Chip fabrication has become too expensive for all but a few
firms. The expense caused the division
of labor between chip design and manufacturing, with claims that some firms
might not have survived if they needed to build chip manufacturing capacity along
with design aspects. Alternatively,
Samsung has a conflict of interest as it produces consumer goods along with
chip production. Therefore, competing
with their own customers. By 2010s, chip
production became less profitable than selling ads on apps. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Manufacturing chips was a labor intensive process. <a name="_Hlk154485684">Charlie Sporck </a>used
strategies to keep unions weak, but also provided stock options to
employees. Women were hired because they
were cheaper. America did not have
enough cheap labor to produce chips at scale, which lead to efforts to offshore
assembly. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The public sector with military and space paid for chip R&D
initially. But as governments cut costs,
civilian products became the source of revenue that paid for R&D. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Many U.S. tech firms were going bankrupt during the 1980s,
which lead to claims that they might be desperate enough to sell valuable
technologies.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is There A Source For How Chip Technology Came To Be? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Although mechanical computers were created before WW2, their
technological capacity was accelerated due to the war. Bombers used a mechanism to compute when to
drop the bombs. A few inputs and only
one output. The outcomes were better
than pilot guesswork. Even with the
mechanism, bombs rarely hit their targets, with the war being decided on
quantity of bombs rather than the mechanisms accuracy. More calculations would be needed for
accuracy. Mechanical gears were then
replaced by computers with electrical charges.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>What Was <a name="_Hlk154485769">The USSR Strategy With
Chips? </a><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The USSR was effective at producing various resources in
quantities, but lacked the advanced manufacturing to produce quality. USSR was not able to obtain advanced
technologies due to limited transfers to communist countries. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Obtaining chips through spy networks and theft did not help
USSR as the chips did not come with instructions on how the chip was made. Chip production was complicated and relied on
knowledge that was not contained within a single source. Copying chips was also not an effective
strategy because chip technology advanced far too quick to enable the copy
strategy to be effective. What the copy
strategy did was keep USSR technologically behind. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The USSR had poor management of chip manufacturers, which
relied mostly on military demand. USSR
also lacked an international supply chain.
An international supply chain that enabled U.S. and other states to
spread R&D costs. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Americans could not compete with the quantity of weapons
with USSR, but they could compete in quality.
War became a contest of accuracy which the U.S. had an advantage. U.S. reliance on technological superiority to
win makes chips a strategic product.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How To Increase American Influence? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">America helped rebuild Japan and supported Japan’s
technological capacity to have Japan bound to American system. Alternatively, Taiwan wanted to have American
company’s plants in Taiwan for Americans to want to defend Taiwan which would
foster economic growth and political stability.
Semiconductor assembly facilities were globally based and integrated
into U.S. politics rather than communist states. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>An Unfair Competition? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Spying among chip facilities was the norm. Domestic, and foreign spying. There were many accusations and legal cases
against each other for stealing employees, ideas, and intellectual
property. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">While some governments, like Japan, subsidized chipmakers
and enabled them to work together. Other
government, like the U.S., had antitrust laws that prevented chip firms from
colluding. U.S. firms claimed Japan’s
efforts were evidence of unfair competition.
This is during a time when U.S. firms were losing a competitive
advantage, while the U.S. government were funding the firms through other
ventures such as providing grants for speculative technologies and
innovation. Japan had cheaper capital to
fund firms due to lower interest rates, and Japan was funding firms that in the
U.S. would have been driven to bankruptcy.
As Japan was gaining more of the chip market, Japan did not consider
their practices unfair given U.S. providing chipmakers help such as in the form
of defense contracts. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">During the 1980, American manufacturers in multiple
industries such as chip makers, steel, and cars were losing their competitive
advantage. The claim was that while
Americans were investing in lawyers, Japan was investing in engineers. The Japanese work culture was more
effective. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Japan’s production capacity in chipmaking made it possible
for Japan to make claims against America rather than the previous American lead
agendas since 1945.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>What Was China’s Strategy?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In China, Mao promoted farming and reduced the capacity to
rely on foreign investments and generally invest in technology. Electronics were deemed anti-socialist. Alternatively, in other countries such as
Taiwan, and South Korea, leaders were putting farmers into the manufacturing
plant position. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">China might be able to provide software for e-commerce and
related products, but is reliant on foreign hardware. China provided subsidies for fabrication
plants in provinces, which were investments based on politics that lead to them
being inefficient. They rely on
subsidies and do not produce meaningful technology. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What gives China an advantage is doing business with failing
foreign companies that provide China with technological information in exchange
for saving their business. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Caveats?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This book is a scientific,
political, and economic history of chip production. Some of the history themes repeat, and can
make the history appear self-similar just with different competitors. </p></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are integrated circuits known as chips?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the chip manufacturing supply chain?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did the military effect chip development?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why are chips needed in military application? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why pays for the R&D efforts? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does Silicon Valley effect chip production? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why is chip production expensive? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What risks are posed by bankrupt tech firms? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the Mead-Conway Revolution?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Charlie Sporck effect chip production? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did chips come to be? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What was the USSR strategy with chips?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What was China’s strategy with chips?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What happened to Huawei? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why did America enable Japan’s technological capacity?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why did Taiwan want to be a chip manufacturer? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the role of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC)?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Morris Chang transform TSMC? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Did Japan have unfair competition? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What was the role of spies? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Charlie Sporck effect chip manufacturing? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What was the effect of unions on chip production? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What did the company Fairchild do? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What happened to GCA?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why use x86 architecture? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are the classic physics problems of making chips smaller? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does Intel effect U.S. policy? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does do chips effect A.I.?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is beamforming? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What decision did Intel make about phones? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>Publisher: Scribner [Simon & Schuster]</div><div>Edition ISBN: 9781982172022</div><div>Pages to read: 357</div><div>Publication: 2022</div><div>1st Edition: 2022</div><div>Format: eBook </div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 5</div><div>Content 5</div><div>Overall 5</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-38385197949221597892023-12-15T11:42:00.003-05:002023-12-15T13:00:48.989-05:00Review of The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World by David Deutsch<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = </span><a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/epistemology.html">Philosophy, Epistemology</a></div><div>Book Club Event = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/book-club-book-list.html">Book List</a> (03/30/2024)</div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-makes-science-science.html">What Makes Science A Science?</a>, 2) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/the-evolution-of-evolution.html">The Evolution of Evolution</a>, </div><div>3) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/intelligence-of-artificial-kind.html">Intelligence, Of The Artificial Kind?</a>, 4) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/the-style-of-math.html">The Style of Math</a>, </div><div>5) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/not-alone-out-there-after-all-alien.html">Not Alone Out There After All? Alien Life Of Various Kinds</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyFHYNck6_yVds8KVRbdZKvCNo8uirDyEl7ctmjSXEsZWqAcRE4FoGI4Fk6iGjb7cVzBjZGiOWyuVgr1beA_-v1BQf5GmOyQVErZi_-bEPM5iFvs9r7TMc-UrtNJWY0pGiivT6ZIFvvvvx1NLiF-qObhc9Gm1McwMh7Vvu937Wz9iKe2lry4EaqxLrtd8/s476/Cover%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyFHYNck6_yVds8KVRbdZKvCNo8uirDyEl7ctmjSXEsZWqAcRE4FoGI4Fk6iGjb7cVzBjZGiOWyuVgr1beA_-v1BQf5GmOyQVErZi_-bEPM5iFvs9r7TMc-UrtNJWY0pGiivT6ZIFvvvvx1NLiF-qObhc9Gm1McwMh7Vvu937Wz9iKe2lry4EaqxLrtd8/s320/Cover%202.png" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vLGZAF4G7u8" width="320" youtube-src-id="vLGZAF4G7u8"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Excerpts</b></i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“But, in reality, scientific theories
are not ‘derived’ from anything. We do
not read them in nature, nor does nature write them into us. They are guesses – bold conjectures. Human minds create them by rearranging,
combining, altering and adding to existing ideas with the intention of
improving upon them. We do not begin
with ‘white paper’ at birth, but with inborn expectations and intentions and an
innate ability to improve upon them using thought and experience. Experience is indeed essential to science,
but its role is different from that supposed by empiricism. It is not the source from which theories are
derived. Its main use is to choose
between theories that have already been guessed. That is what ‘learning from experience’ is.” –
David Deutsch, Chapter 1: The Reach of Explanations, Page 12</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“The better we come to understand phenomena remote from our
everyday experience, the longer those chains of interpretation become, and
every additional link necessitates more theory.
A single unexpected or misunderstood phenomenon anywhere in the chain
can, and often does, render the resulting sensory experience arbitrarily
misleading. Yet, over time, the
conclusions that science has drawn have become ever truer to reality. Its quest for good explanations corrects the
errors, allows for the biases and misleading perspectives, and fills in the
gaps.” – David Deutsch, Chapter 2: Closer to Reality, Page 44</p><p style="text-align: left;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“It is inevitable that we face problems, but no particular
problem is inevitable. We survive, and
thrive, by solving each problem as it comes up.
And, since the human ability to transform nature is limited only by the
laws of physics, none of the endless stream of problems will ever constitute an
impassable barrier. So a complementary
and equally important truth about people and the physical world is that <i>problems
are soluble</i>.” – David Deutsch, Chapter 3: The Spark, Page 67<o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Progress depends on explanations. On good explanations. Explanations are claims about what something is
and how that something behaves. Problems
are a conflict within the explanation, with problems resolved by a good
explanation that resolves the conflict within them. Problems fail to be resolved when they rely
on bad explanations. Problems are
inevitable but are soluble with good explanations. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Problems come for
various sources such as communication which can create a problem with
misinterpretation, and physical reality can create a problem for survival. The various sources create potentially
infinite problems. As the potential
problems are infinite, they require infinite progress to resolve them. Resolving some or many problems, still leaves
an infinite of problems. Making progress
always at the beginning of infinity.
Progress has no bounds, as there will always be an infinite more to
accomplish. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Explanations are an
act of creativity. Scientific theories
start as guesses that are error corrected and improved upon. Theories are not derived from anything, not
even from experiences. But experiences
shape which theories survive. Testable
predictions are not enough in science, for predictions do not self-explain how
something works. Understanding how
something works requires an explanation.
Explanations themselves are not enough for a variety of claims can be
made to explain testable evidence. A fundamental
flaw of bad explanations is that they drastically vary their claims without
changing the predictions.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>What Are The Limits To Empiricism? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Empiricism has limits about what is not experienced. Much of reality cannot be experienced. Predictions about what has not been
experienced, and are based on how they are.
The problem is that the future is not like the past. Logical deductions based on experiences does
not explain anything other than what has been experienced. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Experiences are based on the senses. The senses might not be deceptive, but the
interpretations derived from the senses can be.
Making them part of the explanation paradigm for the Interpretations are
fallible, and therefore can be improved through criticism and testing. Empiricism is flawed because it requires
pre-existing knowledge to know what to observe and how to interpret the
information.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Does Science Need An Authority? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Science needing authority is a misconception derived from a
need for certainly. A bias called
justificationism. This leads to trying
to prevent ideas from changing.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Static societies remove the source of ideas which is
creativity. They generate institutions
that prevent people from coming up with new ideas.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Alternatively there is fallibilism which goes against
authoritative sources of knowledge. In
this view, people create knowledge through better understanding of what is and
expecting the ideas to be challenged and improved. That the ideas will change. Knowledge does not have an authority to rely
on, it comes from any source. The
Enlightenment created a tradition of criticism.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>What Makes A Good Explanation? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Testability nor prediction is the purpose of science because
appearances are not self-explanatory. If
appearances contained self-evident explanations, there would be no need for
science. Testable predictions do not
explain how something works. That
requires an explanation, which are claims about reality for the workings of the
appearance. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Bad explanations, even with testable predictions, are
unscientific. Many theories are rejected
without experimentation because they are bad explanations. Removing a faulty theory is not enough, for a
better explanation is needed. Good
explanations are hard to vary without being tested. Predictions are made from good explanations,
while prophecy are claims about the unknowable.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Claims have become more distant from everyday experiences,
which makes misinterpretation more likely.
Science becomes better even with the misinterpretations, as science can error-correct
the interpretations and fill in data gaps.
Misinterpretations can come from communication, as the same words can
have different meanings for the recipient and communicator, requiring guesswork
which is subject to error correction. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Knowledge that has become common is background knowledge,
rules of thumb. They appear to be
explanationless predictions, but there are always explanations for them. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How Does Biology Effect Knowledge? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Biological knowledge is non-explanatory which makes it have
limited reach and depend on random mutations.
Explanatory human knowledge has unlimited reach and are based on
conjectures that are constructed intentionally for a purpose.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Evolution has created many defects in the biological
species. Evolution can make beneficial
and harmful changes to biology. Defects
which are in conflict with a designer. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>What Is A Better Explanation For Earth’s Status? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Earth is sometimes portrayed as a space ship that provides
all that humans needs to sustain themselves.
That humans are squandering what the Earth has provided. That humans are insignificant. The problem with this view is that most of
the universe is cold, dark, and empty which makes Earth remarkably untypical. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Much of Earth’s environment leads to death for humans rather
than a life-supporting system made for humans.
It takes human ingenuity to designing technology to enable them to live
in the life threatening system.
Extinctions of the past occurred because the beings were living the
lifestyles they evolved to rather than adept to changing conditions. Nature did provide raw materials for
survival, but it took knowledge to make use of the materials to enable people
to survive and thrive. Evolution did not
provide knowledge on how to transform the materials. It is explanatory knowledge that gives people
power to transform nature. It takes the
right knowledge to accommodate people no matter the environment, whether space
ship or ruined biosphere. Civilizations
of the past were destroyed for lack of knowledge on how to resolve their
problem. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Caveats?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">An explanation is needed to
understand how something works, but the logic of what makes a good and bad
explanation needs a better explanation, as they can appear contradictory. Most chapters provide an example of a bad
explanation, the errors contained in the explanation, how to correct the
explanation, and a better explanation.
Taking the reader through the process of obtaining better
explanations. The examples are diverse,
with their quality depending on the readers understanding and interest in the
topic. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is an explanation? What makes an explanation good or bad? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is a problem?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the beginning of infinity?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is empiricism? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are the limits to experiences? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is inductivism? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Does science need an authority?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are static societies? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is fallibilism? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the purpose of science? What is not the purpose of science? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are rules of thumb?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is biological knowledge? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What effect does evolution has? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is instrumentalism?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is relativism? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is creationism? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do explanations become universal? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How much has AI improved science Turning’s era? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the Infinity Hotel? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do memes effect behavior? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What kind of political system is needed? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Is there a difference between math and physics? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How are explanations communicated? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Is Earth like a space ship given the claim Space Ship Earth? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What were the Enlightenment movements?</div><div><br /></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>Edition: First American edition</div><div>Publisher: Viking [Penguin Group]</div><div>Edition ISBN: 9781101549827</div><div>Pages to read: 403</div><div>Publication: 2011</div><div>1st Edition: 2011</div><div>Format: eBook </div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 4</div><div>Content 4</div><div>Overall 4</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-58078061129676969962023-11-26T21:56:00.002-05:002023-11-26T22:07:28.478-05:00Review of Norse Mythology: Gods, Heroes and the Nine Worlds of Norse Mythology by Stephan Weaver<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/sociology-mythology-and-religion.html">Sociology, Mythology and Religion</a></span></div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-is-power-of-belief-systems.html">What Is The Power Of Belief Systems?</a>, </div><div>2) <a href="https://inquiryformanantilibrary.blogspot.com/p/get-to-know-this-worlds-people-regions.html" target="">Get To Know The Peoples Of The World</a> (<a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/vikings.html">Vikings</a>), </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifAQRzastn8gNnu3bFuBMOJ83ODkqsDtCBRGmDGV4VALoo8lRgjwj427Lez11c-We4RngqRXxKOA6XWrZkBF-4Qm3b4Qoig1qDs45N5Q39nPz4t93Cu4OrZWJ7bB3XVZbg2rdNK1PZLlqKb83dVlGLsC8cyC9t0WwOfSsjTg8SKdPkVUHSFztK1L5J1M8/s1036/Cover%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="692" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifAQRzastn8gNnu3bFuBMOJ83ODkqsDtCBRGmDGV4VALoo8lRgjwj427Lez11c-We4RngqRXxKOA6XWrZkBF-4Qm3b4Qoig1qDs45N5Q39nPz4t93Cu4OrZWJ7bB3XVZbg2rdNK1PZLlqKb83dVlGLsC8cyC9t0WwOfSsjTg8SKdPkVUHSFztK1L5J1M8/s320/Cover%202.png" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PMZdFbun3ww" width="320" youtube-src-id="PMZdFbun3ww"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Excerpts</b></i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“Despite him being the leader of Æsir and the lord of
Asgard, Odin had a penchant for distant and solitary travels. Although some of his quests were inspired by
petty whims, most of them were undertaken in search of fulfilling lofty
ambitions. Odin was not always the
omnipotent God he came to be; he started off as the God of Death, but the rest
of his reign was hard won.” – Stephan Weaver, Chapter II, Page 9</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“Norse society had three social
strata over which the gods and goddesses ruled.
The upper class included the rulers and sovereignty; the middle class,
the warriors; and the lower class, the farmers and peasants. Odin and Tyr were the rulers of the upper
class. There were stark differences
between Odin and Tyr. Odin ruled by
magic and cunning, while Tyr ruled by law and order. Odin carried a rather discreditable imagery,
depicted as the malicious, unfathomable one, whereas Tyr was perceived as the
virtuous and sober ruler.” – Stephan Weaver, Chapter II, Page 9</p><p style="text-align: left;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“The Norsemen had quite a lot of heroes and legends, ones
that were idolized and worshiped throughout the whole of Scandinavia. And it was because of these extraordinary
figures that Norse history has come to be this unceasing and timelessly
captivating entity in human recordings.” – Stephan Weaver, Chapter IV, Page 27<o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Norse mythology has been influential through the acts of
historical leaders and fictional heroes.
Influencing many societies with their norms and customs. The Norse pantheon contained many diverse
characters, and usually part of a conflict.
It was a conflict that reduced the Ten Worlds, to Nine Worlds. It was a death of a giant that made the
middle earth, the land of humanity.
Worlds cosmically tied by a world-tree.
With conflict, there is also peace and how the different groups
interacted with each other. But that is
not to forget the looming fate of Ragnarök.
This is a short book describing the power of the gods, the types of
worlds, the different types of beings, and historic events and fiction that
propagated the myths. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Caveats?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is a short introductory book to
Norse Mythology. It does not contain a
systematic analysis. Just a short description
of the major gods, beings, heroes, and worlds. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who are the Æsir? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who are the Vanir?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What happened to Æsir and Vanir?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Odin?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Odin get Odin’s powers?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Tyr?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Thor?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Freya?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Loki?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Frigg?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Baldur?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Hel?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Heimdall?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Mimir?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why are there nine worlds?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the Yggdrasil? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who are some real Norse people that influenced society?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some stories that came from Norse people?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who are the Valkyries?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who are the Norns?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who are the Jotuns?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who are the Dwarfs?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who are the Light Elves?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who are the Dark Elves?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Norse Mythology influence other societies? </div><div><br /></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>Publisher: Stephan Weaver</div><div>Edition ISBN: 2940154933183</div><div>Pages to read: 40</div><div>Publication: 2017</div><div>1st Edition: 2015</div><div>Format: eBook </div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 5</div><div>Content 2</div><div>Overall 2</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-33091706875167666862023-11-19T08:32:00.007-05:002023-11-19T09:17:52.058-05:00Review of Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, and Cass R. Sunstein<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/decision-making.html">Decision Making</a></span></div><div>Book Club Event = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/book-club-book-list.html">Book List</a> (07/27/2024)</div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/why-do-people-think-differently.html">Why Do People Think Differently?</a>, 2) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/when-intelligence-goes-wrong.html">When Intelligence Goes Wrong</a>, </div><div>3) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/war-for-your-attention.html">War for Your Attention</a>, 4) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-to-allocate-resources.html">How To Allocate Resources?</a>, 5) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/to-cooperate-or-to-defect.html">To Cooperate Or To Defect?</a>, </div><div>6) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/ways-to-help-oneself-and-life-lessons.html">Ways To Help Oneself and Life Lessons</a>, 7) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-to-and-not-to-run-business.html">How To and Not To Run a Business</a>, </div><div>8) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/intelligence-of-artificial-kind.html">Intelligence, Of The Artificial Kind?</a>, </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE72g-igWvE92WU3ZST2JkQhlC3hNR6P9iyt6uW46X4-N2HIl6fFd3EqWwbFqmU5G80QGot2hi7BCJdyadLvpoBghKJZq3ekjgkgpcqAclxOAEqRDfxZp_vyx4Sj5Twk20XaEpqf0tr9TJnddacMVb1wp3Po5gZDMWttm6G1pLPfbI4vSEwZgjbIMldD8/s1381/Cover%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1381" data-original-width="898" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE72g-igWvE92WU3ZST2JkQhlC3hNR6P9iyt6uW46X4-N2HIl6fFd3EqWwbFqmU5G80QGot2hi7BCJdyadLvpoBghKJZq3ekjgkgpcqAclxOAEqRDfxZp_vyx4Sj5Twk20XaEpqf0tr9TJnddacMVb1wp3Po5gZDMWttm6G1pLPfbI4vSEwZgjbIMldD8/s320/Cover%202.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LWc4yPhL9o8" width="320" youtube-src-id="LWc4yPhL9o8"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Excerpts</b></i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“The data showed that the price a customer is asked to pay
depends to an uncomfortable extent on the lottery that picks the employee who
will deal with that transaction. To say
the least, customers would not be pleased to hear that they were signed up for
such a lottery without their consent.
More generally, people who deal with organizations expect a system that
reliably delivers consistent judgments.
They do not expect system noise.” – Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony,
Cass R. Sunstein, Chapter 2: A Noisy System , Page 27</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“These beliefs, which have been
called <i>naïve realism</i>, are essential to the sense of a reality we share
with other people. We rarely question
these beliefs. We hold a single
interpretation of the world around us at any one time, and we normally invest
little effort in generating plausible alternatives to it. One interpretation is enough, and we
experience it as true. We do not go
through life imagining alternative ways of seeing what we see” – Daniel
Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, Cass R. Sunstein, Chapter 2: A Noisy System , Page 31</p><p style="text-align: left;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“In other words, mood has a measurable influence on what you
think: what you notice in your environment, what you retrieve from your memory,
how you make sense of these signals. But
mood has another, more surprising effect: it also changes <i>how </i>you think.”
– Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, Cass R. Sunstein, Chapter 7: Occasion Noise,
Page 86<o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There are aspects of life in which people want diversity of
views, with disagreement expected. But,
when the expectation is that the decision makers are supposed to provide a
similar judgement within similar contexts, the diversity of views is
harmful. These are noisy
judgements. While biased judgements are
systematically off, noisy judgements are those in which agreement is expected
but not attained. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Whether in a public or private organization, their
representatives are meant to provide a similar product no matter who is using
their service. In practice, those using
their services enter a lottery as to whom they receive as a
representative. The outcomes depend on
who is asked, for the person can receive someone favorable or unfavorable to
them. Leading to very different outcomes
for people within similar circumstances, rather than the expected reliable
judgements. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Noise is the unwanted divergent judgements. Noise is more disagreement in a system than
what is expected. Noise leads to
unfairness in society, and a loss of profit for firms. Decision hygiene is meant to reducing noise
which leads to better decision making.
There are practical steps that everyone can take to reduce the amount of
noise in the system, and take a noise audit to find out how much noise there
is. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>What Is An Example of Noise? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Judges are expected to deliver similar sentences to similar cases. But, there is a lot of noise in the sentences
that judges make. Judges use their
discretion to tailor the sentence with various factors. Although this discretion is meant to enable
better outcomes, the discretion also creates discrimination due to arbitrary
cruelties. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The noisy sentences received attention, leading to sentence
guidelines. The guidelines reduced
noise, but judges objected due to their lack of discretion. When the guidelines were removed, noise came back
into sentences given. This created law
without order. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How To Understand Noise?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A judgement is the conclusion. It is a process of mental activity and the
product. A judgement is never
certain. It includes reasonable disagreement. A judgement has an expectation of bounded
disagreement. The amount of disagreement
that is acceptable depends on the problem.
Large disagreement violates expectations of fairness and consistency
when representatives of public or private institutions are meant to be
interchangeable and assigned quasi-randomly. Noise in the judgements are errors, and in a
noisy system, the errors do not cancel each other out.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Organization and people tend to maintain an illusion of
agreement, even though they disagree in their judgements. People tend to think that others share their
beliefs, that they understand reality the way the individual does. With naïve realism, people assume that there
is a single interpretation, which is rarely challenged. Organizations prefer consensus and harmony
over dissent and conflict. Procedures
are designed to minimize exposure to disagreement, and explain disagreement
away. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Noise is unwanted, and noise is not always unwanted. Variability in judgement is acceptable when
it comes to experiences with expected diverse views. Such as innovative solutions to problems, in
competition, and art.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Noise is undesirable variability in judgement to the same
problem, which does not apply to singular problems that are not repeated. But, there could be counterfactuals, as
different decision makers with the same competencies could have made different
decisions.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Why Is There Noise? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Noise can occur even with the same facts, as the same facts
on different occasions produce different results. It is not just different people that can have
different judgements, but also the individual.
Mood affects what the individual thinks, and how the individual
thinks. Making people less consistent
than they think. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Overconfidence in predictions reduces the quality of the
predictions. Perfect predictions are
impossible, but that does not prevent overconfidence in predictions. Experts tend not to do much better than
everyone else when making predictions.
What experts know is how to explain themselves and see the different
issues involved, but not make better predictions. Better forecasters tend to be those who
continuously update their beliefs.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">People jump to conclusions based on little information while
believing that their views are based on appropriate evidence. Building evidence when a conclusion has been
made, rather than seek alternative explanations. People reply on empty explanations to enable
coherence of events.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">People can have different views based on earlier
impressions. Judgements are affected by
prior attitudes. Interpretation of facts
depends on prior impressions. The affect
heuristic, also known as the halo effect, occurs when people use their emotions
to make decisions. Applying the same
favorable or unfavorable emotions to a person, even though the person is
complex. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How To Reduce Noise? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Decision hygiene is the term meant to indicate when there is
an attempt to reduce noise. This can
include sequencing information, independent assessments, referencing the
outside view, and aggregating various independent judgments. A noise audit can be used to understand the
amount of noise in the system. Within a
noise audit, the same case is evaluated by different individuals.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When making a collective decision, better to apply a wisdom
of the crowd’s approach. To gain a
wisdom of the crowd, judgements need to be independent of others. Individual judgement needs to not be
influenced by other people’s judgements.
What influences judgement is popularity for popularity is
self-reinforcing as people do what they see others doing.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Simple rules are better than human judgment. Rules do worse when the person has decisive
information that the model did not consider, which is called the broken-leg
principle. The reason why rules do
better is due to the amount of noise in human judgement. Rules do better but they are not
perfect. Models do better, but not by
much. Resistance to rules tend to be
that humans are allowed to err, while machines are not given that permission.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Rules are complicated.
Rules try to eliminate discretion, while standards provide
discretion. Some rules restrict behavior
without specifying the behavior. This
creates a problem of arbitrary decisions.
But if the behavior would be specified, then people would be able to
behave in inappropriate manner with behavior not covered by the rule.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Not all noise needs to be removed. Removing noise can be costly, create their
own errors, reduce dignity, and noise can be needed for evolution of values.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Caveats?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Some parts of the book are related
to the authors prior works. The prior
work is referenced, without going into detail.
There is a bit of statistics, which could be better understood by those
who already have some knowledge of statistics. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is noise?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•When is diversity of views unwanted?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What lottery do users of public or private services enter? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is decision hygiene? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How to reduce noise?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is a noise audit?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Are judges noisy? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is a judgement? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What culture to organizations want? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Can noise be wanted? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What creates noise?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How well do people make predictions?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What do experts know?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why do people jump to conclusions? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How do earlier impressions influence judgement? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the wisdom of the crowd? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Can rules help? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the MSE? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is level noise?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is pattern noise? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are the effects of mood? </div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>Edition: First Little, Brown Spark paperback edition</div><div>Publisher: Little, Brown Spark [Hachette Book Group]</div><div>Edition ISBN: 9780316451390</div><div>Pages to read: 384</div><div>Publication: 2022</div><div>1st Edition: 2011</div><div>Format: Paperback</div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 5</div><div>Content 5</div><div>Overall 4</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-12752653030938051322023-11-14T17:38:00.003-05:002023-11-14T18:21:01.357-05:00Review of The Lessons of History by Will Durant, and Ariel Durant<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/history.html">History</a></span></div><div>Book Club Event = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/book-club-book-list.html">Book List</a> (05/11/2024)</div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://inquiryformanantilibrary.blogspot.com/p/get-to-know-this-worlds-people-regions.html" target="">Get To Know The Peoples Of The World</a> (<a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/world-history.html">World History</a>), </div><div>2) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/to-cooperate-or-to-defect.html">To Cooperate Or To Defect?</a>, 3) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-is-power-of-belief-systems.html">What Is The Power Of Belief Systems?</a>, 4) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-to-allocate-resources.html">How To Allocate Resources?</a>, 5) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/capitalism-socialism-their-alternatives.html">Capitalism, Socialism, their Alternatives and Critiques</a>, 6) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/the-evolution-of-evolution.html">The Evolution of Evolution</a>, </div><div>7) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/how-competitive-is-competition.html">How Competitive Is Competition?</a>, 8) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/the-impact-of-inequality.html">The Impact of Inequality</a>, </div><div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LihHM8lSFUljuSnkl5s_DPkHzi_kPZQKUx8XXfqRkl4GrAErnQtJ0zFxQ_MjH4bXb2T7Y2zxErW5QnInI62ofHh3wacR5JKEy6CIMtGoRAzpa1SbLsgZOaIifhbykti3SH2RP-v4vHVBMLTyhU17yOgaFv0ZgH99tugwt4eRLfgBqRVKYmxD1ybnNeY/s1052/Cover%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="674" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LihHM8lSFUljuSnkl5s_DPkHzi_kPZQKUx8XXfqRkl4GrAErnQtJ0zFxQ_MjH4bXb2T7Y2zxErW5QnInI62ofHh3wacR5JKEy6CIMtGoRAzpa1SbLsgZOaIifhbykti3SH2RP-v4vHVBMLTyhU17yOgaFv0ZgH99tugwt4eRLfgBqRVKYmxD1ybnNeY/s320/Cover%202.png" width="205" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b1aEyaVYrvY" width="320" youtube-src-id="b1aEyaVYrvY"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Excerpts</b></i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“History has a good word to say for
all of them, and for government in general.
Since men love freedom, and the freedom of individuals in society
requires some regulation of conduct, the first condition of freedom is its
limitation; make it absolute and it dies in chaos. So the prime task of government is to
establish order; organized central force is the sole alternative to
incalculable and disruptive force in private hands.” – Will Durant, and
Ariel Durant, Chapter X: Government and History, Page 61</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“So the services of aristocracy did not save it when it
monopolized privilege and power too narrowly, when it oppressed the people with
selfish and myopic exploitation, when it retarded the growth of the nation by a
blind addiction to ancestral ways, when it consumed the men and resources of
the state in the lordly sport of dynastic or territorial wars. Then the excluded banded together in wild
revolt; the new rich combined with the poor against obstruction and stagnation;
the guillotine cut off a thousand noble heads; and democracy took its turn in
the misgovernment of mankind.” – Will Durant, and Ariel Durant, Chapter X:
Government and History, Page 63</p><p style="text-align: left;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">“If education is the transmission of civilization, we are
unquestionably progressing. Civilization
is not inherited; it has to be learned and earned by each generation anew; if
the transmission should be interrupted for one century, civilization would die,
and we should be savages again. So our
finest contemporary achievement is our unprecedented expenditure of wealth and
toil in the provision of higher education for all.” – Will Durant, and Ariel
Durant, Chapter XIII: Is Progress Real?, Page 93</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Human behavior is affected by many
factors. The values of the factors
change, but the methods in history repeat, just with different details. Not much has changed in the character of
people, as the desires are the same but expressed differently. Same strategies used but with different
associations. Humans are evolutionary
trained to be competitive for resources, for even cooperation is a tool and
form of competition. Climate, geography,
and nature can limit human capacity, but the limits were overcome by human
ingenuity. Knowledge can be used to
improve society, or decimate it. Making
those who resist change as important as those who inspire change. Religion and government have been used to
enable cooperation between people.
Religion provides a moral code that is above even the most powerful
people. Government enforces laws that
provide freedom by restricting absolute freedom’s destructive capacity. Civilization is dependent on education, for
civilization is not inherited. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>What Are Some More Lessons Of History? <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">All historians are partial, for even those who think they
are not, choose material and subjects based on their partiality. What normally makes history are the
exceptional events, rather than most of history which is more mundane.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Moral laxity is not a sign of moral decay, but of a
transitioning moral code. Religions rise
and fall, only to be resurrected. Moral
life used to be aided by religion, but contemporary society does not use
religion.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">War is the norm, and it part of the competitive
process. The individual is restrained by
morals and laws, but the state does not have such restraints. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Inequality is cyclical.
An inevitable concentration of wealth, which can become intolerable that
inspires the redistribution of wealth using various means. Dictators rise when wealth distribution is
inappropriate. It was because power has
been abused that lead to revolution that gave rise to democracy, which has
taken its turn in misgovernance. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Caveats?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The focus is on broad categories,
and describing their trends over the course of history. There is a lack of information on any
specific society or era. This book
prompts the reader to search for that information, and provides a way to
interpret the events. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are the lessons of history?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Is progress made?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Did human behavior change?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does evolution effect humanity?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does climate, geography, and nature effect humanity?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does knowledge effect humanity?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the effect of religion?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are moral codes?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the effect of government?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the purpose of education? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are the trends in inequality?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What gave rise to democracy? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the purpose of war? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does reproduction effect power? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does race effect civilization? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What theology is appears to be most effective? </div><div><br /></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>Publisher: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks [Simon & Schuster]</div><div>Edition ISBN: 9781439170199</div><div>Pages to read: 91</div><div>Publication: 2012</div><div>1st Edition: 1968</div><div>Format: eBook </div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 5</div><div>Content 5</div><div>Overall 5</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-67248359244049676322023-11-07T07:45:00.002-05:002023-11-07T08:47:42.276-05:00Review of Memories, Dreams, Reflections by Carl G. Jung<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/psychology.html">Psychology</a></span></div><div>Book Club Event = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/book-club-book-list.html">Book List</a> (03/02/2024)</div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/biographies-auto-memoir-and-other-types.html">Biographies: Auto, Memoir, and Other Types</a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTFztaR7c-6x9kxvJmEyrqBH2xeCN_hLmoQf_E216XtqqPENw4PrSL5nbvQcSrTdAoZTvQmdJ0Yfm1HPsp8wFk3J7u4kJeGo57TDoBU6L0QmBoimL0kKZR3lD4xnZLQXu0INuKh76RO51rHTxop-o1QhlYglg3QqfFVzAO3I99r7uaO74d4jSqrxmJQk/s477/Cover%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="311" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTFztaR7c-6x9kxvJmEyrqBH2xeCN_hLmoQf_E216XtqqPENw4PrSL5nbvQcSrTdAoZTvQmdJ0Yfm1HPsp8wFk3J7u4kJeGo57TDoBU6L0QmBoimL0kKZR3lD4xnZLQXu0INuKh76RO51rHTxop-o1QhlYglg3QqfFVzAO3I99r7uaO74d4jSqrxmJQk/s320/Cover%202.png" width="209" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vx56dgoJWnY" width="320" youtube-src-id="vx56dgoJWnY"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Excerpts</b></i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p style="text-align: left;">“During my first years at the university I made the discovery that while science opened the door to enormous quantities of knowledge, it provided genuine insights very sparingly, and these in the main were of a specialized nature. I knew from my philosophical reading that the existence of the psyche was responsible for this situation. Without the psyche there would be neither knowledge nor insight. Yet nothing was ever said about the psyche.” – Carl G. Jung, Chapter III: Student Years, Page 107</p><p style="text-align: left;">“I began with the preface, intending to find out how a psychiatrist introduced his subject or, indeed, justified his reason for existing at all. By way of excuse for this high and mighty attitude I must make it clear that in the medical world at that time psychiatry was quite generally held in contempt. No one really knew anything about it, and there was no psychology which regarded man as a whole and included his pathological variations in the total picture.” – Carl G. Jung, Chapter III: Student Years, Page 116</p><p style="text-align: left;">“In actual fact she was responsible for my local fame as a wizard, and since the story soon got around, I was indebted to her for my first private patients. My psychotherapeutic practice began with a mother’s putting me in the place of her mentally ill son! Naturally I explained the whole matter to her, in all its ramifications. She took it very well, and did not again suffer a relapse.” – Carl G. Jung, Chapter IV: Psychiatric Activities, Page 126</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A life devoted to understanding the unconscious. How the unconscious becomes manifest. Jung recognized that the psyche was required
for knowledge and insight, but not much was understood about the psyche. Jung recounts many details of Jung’s life,
and how they inspired what Jung did.
From personal childhood experience with neurosis, crisis of faith, what
lead to fame, and profession conflicts. Jung
has been a doubtful, critical, and keen observer of events. Jung was not willing to sacrifice intellectual
independence. Did not want to hide
different interpretations or references even if it meant challenging a group of
colleagues, or even highly regarded friends.
For Jung, therapy was about the whole person, not just the
symptoms. To enable the patient to
change themselves and reach their own conclusions rather than to convert
them. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is an autobiography, but a detached autobiography which
enabled Jung to relate personal details that otherwise Jung would not have
wanted to share. Jung was resistant to
having a biography, especially an autobiography done. Jung thought that autobiographies tended to
be self-deceptive, that there was no standard by which to judge the person, and
no basis for comparison. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Caveats?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This book included many interesting observations and
experiences. Jung referenced the poor
understanding of psychology that influenced Jung to improve psychology. But, psychology has further changed and improved
since Jung. Making many interpretations
and methodologies used in the book, no longer appropriate. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the unconscious?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why seek to understand the psyche?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are myths?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What did Jung think of religion and how did Jung interact with religion? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Where were Jung’s experiences with the dead? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Faust influence Jung? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Jung’s sister effect Jung?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Jung behave in school? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What did Jung think about math?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why dd Jung become a serious child? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What were Jung’s two different personas as a child? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What happened in school?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did psychiatry teachers treat their patients? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What did Jung think about autobiographies? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What were Jung’s early personal experiences with neurosis? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How to be a helpful therapist? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Jung gain local fame? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why do people become neurotic? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Freud influence Jung?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who was Freud to Jung? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What did Jung think of Freud’s interpretations? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the Tower?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What did Jung think of rationalism? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What did Jung think of evil?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>Recorded and Edited by: Aniela Jaffé</div><div>Translator: Richard and Clara Winston</div><div>Original Language: German</div><div>Translated Into: English</div><div>Edition: Vintage Books Edition</div><div>Publisher: Vintage Books [Random House]</div><div>Edition ISBN: 9780307772718</div><div>Pages to read: 381</div><div>Publication: 1989</div><div>1st Edition: 1961</div><div>Format: eBook </div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 3</div><div>Content 2</div><div>Overall 1</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-32021083897042905492023-11-06T13:54:00.003-05:002023-11-06T14:04:41.051-05:00Review of The Growing Stone by Albert Camus<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/novel.html">Novel</a></span></div><div>Collection = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/exile-and-kingdom-by-albert-camus.html">Exile and the Kingdom by Albert Camus</a></div><div>Book Club Event = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/book-club-book-list.html">Book List</a> (06/15/2024)</div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-defines-culture-how-to-belong-to.html">What Defines A Culture? How To Belong To A Community?</a>, </div><div>2) <a href="https://inquiryformanantilibrary.blogspot.com/p/get-to-know-this-worlds-people-regions.html" target="">Get To Know The Peoples Of The World</a> (<a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/brazil.html">Brazil</a>) </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupQtOWPBpp_8Bip5XCiZl7rSeCeg91EYBW0eXsNFOj4tEbhxi0reFKCUoMQ0tL_OcUgIMFkvd4_j7zc6vYKr_5yVb8qy2HzV5RjOrNc4egSp6p57QAkjtjjBa2iUYvIxUkwxjc8sJLP-lLosIme-y4ZRwGx5aCt3oHoJJX9q4TvimYKU3Bels8Qcnu2I/s1413/Cover%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1413" data-original-width="905" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupQtOWPBpp_8Bip5XCiZl7rSeCeg91EYBW0eXsNFOj4tEbhxi0reFKCUoMQ0tL_OcUgIMFkvd4_j7zc6vYKr_5yVb8qy2HzV5RjOrNc4egSp6p57QAkjtjjBa2iUYvIxUkwxjc8sJLP-lLosIme-y4ZRwGx5aCt3oHoJJX9q4TvimYKU3Bels8Qcnu2I/s320/Cover%202.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-1XN-WLCaBQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="-1XN-WLCaBQ"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">D’Arrast is a French engineer in Brazil for a project, which
would prevent flooding and provide the poor community with jobs. For what the d’Arrast is going to do for the
community, d’Arrast is received with gratitude and appreciation by the
elite. But d’Arrast is uncomfortable
being deferred to. While d’Arrast visits
the locals, d’Arrast becomes immersed in the community. Finding belonging with them. D’Arrast meets a cook who during a
life-threatening situation made a promise that should the cook survive, the
cook would carry a heavy stone. The
night before the cook needed to carry the stone, there was a celebration. The cook wanted d’Arrast to come to the
celebration, in part to make sure the cook left early. Otherwise the cook would not be able to carry
out the promise. But at the celebration,
the cook did not want to leave. This
made carrying the stone a further struggle for the cook, who could not finish
carrying the stone to its destination.
D’Arrast seeks to help the cook.
But, the cook belongs to a different community than those who have been
deferring to d’Arrast. What should
d’Arrast do?<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is d’Arrast? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why did d’Arrast come to Brazil?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How is d’Arrast treated?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What happens to the chief of police? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Socrates?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What miracle is taking place in the grotto that people celebrate as a holiday? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is the cook? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What promise did the cook make?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why did the cook want d’Arrast to come to the celebration? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What happened at the celebration?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What happens when the cook carries the stone? </div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>Translator: Carol Cosman</div><div>Original Language: French</div><div>Translated Into: English</div><div>Edition: First Vintage International Edition</div><div>Publisher: Vintage Books [Random House]</div><div>Edition ISBN: 9780307278586</div><div>Pages to read: 42</div><div>Publication: 2007</div><div>1st Edition: 1957</div><div>Format: Paperback</div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 4</div><div>Content 3</div><div>Overall 3</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-16849191309359611702023-11-05T07:19:00.003-05:002023-11-05T07:31:34.036-05:00Review of Jonas, or The Artist at Work by Albert Camus<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/novel.html">Novel</a></span></div><div>Collection = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/exile-and-kingdom-by-albert-camus.html">Exile and the Kingdom by Albert Camus</a></div><div>Book Club Event = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/book-club-book-list.html">Book List</a> (06/15/2024)</div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/war-for-your-attention.html">War for Your Attention</a>, 2) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/to-cooperate-or-to-defect.html">To Cooperate Or To Defect?</a>, </div><div>3) <a href="https://inquiryformanantilibrary.blogspot.com/p/get-to-know-this-worlds-people-regions.html" target="">Get To Know The Peoples Of The World</a> (<a href="https://inquiryformanantilibrary.blogspot.com/p/france.html">France</a>) </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupQtOWPBpp_8Bip5XCiZl7rSeCeg91EYBW0eXsNFOj4tEbhxi0reFKCUoMQ0tL_OcUgIMFkvd4_j7zc6vYKr_5yVb8qy2HzV5RjOrNc4egSp6p57QAkjtjjBa2iUYvIxUkwxjc8sJLP-lLosIme-y4ZRwGx5aCt3oHoJJX9q4TvimYKU3Bels8Qcnu2I/s1413/Cover%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1413" data-original-width="905" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupQtOWPBpp_8Bip5XCiZl7rSeCeg91EYBW0eXsNFOj4tEbhxi0reFKCUoMQ0tL_OcUgIMFkvd4_j7zc6vYKr_5yVb8qy2HzV5RjOrNc4egSp6p57QAkjtjjBa2iUYvIxUkwxjc8sJLP-lLosIme-y4ZRwGx5aCt3oHoJJX9q4TvimYKU3Bels8Qcnu2I/s320/Cover%202.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SmkvAxtEWZg" width="320" youtube-src-id="SmkvAxtEWZg"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jonas’s life has been bound by a belief in luck, that
nothing was through merit. And Jonas has
been very lucky in life. Reflecting how
Jonas’s situation came to be, Jonas sees every problem as having given Jonas a
favorable situation. Misfortune with
parents earned Jonas a devoted friend, and a job in publishing at which Jonas
dabbled in painting. Painting became a
passion that occupied all of Jonas’s attention until an accident that prevented
Jonas from plaiting for a time. As
Jonas’s attention was not preoccupied with painting while healing, Jonas was
able to notice Louise who would become Jonas’s wife. Louise is very industrious and would enable
Jonas to spend Jonas’s days painting, which eventually enabled Jonas’s work to
be discovered. But as Jonas’s fame rose,
Jonas’s attention becomes more divided.
People wanted to talk to Jonas.
Disciples wanted to teach Jonas.
Letters needed to be replied to.
With so much attention being taken, Jonas’s work suffers, friends and
family are neglected. Jonas tries to
please everyone, but there is not much Jonas can do with limited time and
energy. How will Jonas decide how to
spend attention? <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What does Jonas think of others?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is Jonas belief system?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What happened to Jonas parents?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Jonas become an artist?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Jonas meet Louise?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Jonas become famous?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How did Jonas’s attention become divided? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the point of disciples? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•How does Jonas manage attention? </div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>Translator: Carol Cosman</div><div>Original Language: French</div><div>Translated Into: English</div><div>Edition: First Vintage International Edition</div><div>Publisher: Vintage Books [Random House]</div><div>Edition ISBN: 9780307278586</div><div>Pages to read: 38</div><div>Publication: 2007</div><div>1st Edition: 1957</div><div>Format: Paperback</div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 4</div><div>Content 3</div><div>Overall 4</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4423628696857602381.post-75243504183096118272023-11-04T06:52:00.004-04:002023-11-04T07:11:20.298-04:00Review of The Guest by Albert Camus<p>This book review was written by Eugene Kernes </p><div><span>Book can be found in: <br /></span><div><span>Genre = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/novel.html">Novel</a></span></div><div>Collection = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/exile-and-kingdom-by-albert-camus.html">Exile and the Kingdom by Albert Camus</a></div><div>Book Club Event = <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/book-club-book-list.html">Book List</a> (06/15/2024)</div></div><div>Intriguing Connections = 1) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/to-cooperate-or-to-defect.html">To Cooperate Or To Defect?</a>, </div><div>2) <a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/what-defines-culture-how-to-belong-to.html">What Defines A Culture? How To Belong To A Community?</a>, </div><div>3) <a href="https://inquiryformanantilibrary.blogspot.com/p/get-to-know-this-worlds-people-regions.html" target="">Get To Know The Peoples Of The World</a> (<a href="https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/algeria.html">Algeria</a>) </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupQtOWPBpp_8Bip5XCiZl7rSeCeg91EYBW0eXsNFOj4tEbhxi0reFKCUoMQ0tL_OcUgIMFkvd4_j7zc6vYKr_5yVb8qy2HzV5RjOrNc4egSp6p57QAkjtjjBa2iUYvIxUkwxjc8sJLP-lLosIme-y4ZRwGx5aCt3oHoJJX9q4TvimYKU3Bels8Qcnu2I/s1413/Cover%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1413" data-original-width="905" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupQtOWPBpp_8Bip5XCiZl7rSeCeg91EYBW0eXsNFOj4tEbhxi0reFKCUoMQ0tL_OcUgIMFkvd4_j7zc6vYKr_5yVb8qy2HzV5RjOrNc4egSp6p57QAkjtjjBa2iUYvIxUkwxjc8sJLP-lLosIme-y4ZRwGx5aCt3oHoJJX9q4TvimYKU3Bels8Qcnu2I/s320/Cover%202.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Watch Short Review</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RVeVqmtXyE0" width="320" youtube-src-id="RVeVqmtXyE0"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is This An Overview?<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal">Daru is a schoolteacher who would prefer not to take sides
in a conflict. A prisoner is brought to
Daru with orders that Daru must transport the prisoner. But participating in turning in the prisoner
would mean taking a side. While the
prisoner is a guest of Daru, the prisoner has many opportunities to
escape. Which Daru would welcome. But the prisoner does not escape. Any choice Daru makes about the prisoner, has
ramifications about what community Daru will be a part of and what community
will be a threat. Daru is with the
communities, but feels exiled from the communities. Maybe there is a way that Daru can find to
keep neutrality. What should Daru do? </p></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Questions to Consider while Reading the Book</span></b></i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What are some limitations of the book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•To whom would you suggest this book?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Daru?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What is the situation in the region?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Who is Balducci?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Why does Balducci bring the prisoner to Daru?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What must Dary do with the prisoner?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•What did the prisoner do to become a prisoner?</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Can the prisoner escape? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">•Should Daru transport the prisoner? </div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Book Details</i></b></span></div><div>Translator: Carol Cosman</div><div>Original Language: French</div><div>Translated Into: English</div><div>Edition: First Vintage International Edition</div><div>Publisher: Vintage Books [Random House]</div><div>Edition ISBN: 9780307278586</div><div>Pages to read: 20</div><div>Publication: 2007</div><div>1st Edition: 1957</div><div>Format: Paperback</div><div><br /></div><div>Ratings out of 5:</div><div>Readability 4</div><div>Content 3</div><div>Overall 4</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com